The next day, Banta was a man on a mission.
He was walking around their cousin’s expensive, modern-looking apartment in Gurgaon, knocking on walls, checking window joints, and muttering to himself.
Santa, who was trying to watch a cricket match, was getting annoyed.
“Banta, what are you doing?” he snapped.
“Are you redecorating?”
“Stop all that thak-thak!”
“I’m trying to watch the match!”
“I am trying to see if we are staying in a house or a beautifully painted tomb,” Banta replied grimly.
He rapped his knuckles on a wall separating the living room from the kitchen.
It made a hollow, brittle sound.
“This is not a structural wall,” he announced.
“This is unreinforced masonry – URM.”
“It’s just bricks and cement, with no steel or timber to hold it together.”
“It has zero flexibility.”
“In a real quake, this wall will not bend; it will shatter into a thousand pieces.”
“This building is a lie, Santa.”
“A lie?” Santa was offended.
“This is a brand-new, ‘quake-proof’ building!”
“The builder told us!”
“It has a swimming pool and a fancy, high-speed lift!”
“It is very strong!”
“The earthquake does not care about your swimming pool, you fool!” Banta retorted.
“It only cares about your load transferring columns.”
“The builders cut corners.”
“They used cheap materials.”
“They got a fake certificate.”
“The Vulnerability Atlas of India says 85.5% of Delhi‘s houses are at high risk of damage or collapse.”
“This is one of them!”
Santa, now a little nervous, tried to muster his bravado.
“It doesn’t matter!”
“I have a plan.”
“I am a hero.”
“If the shaking starts, I know the secret.”
“I will run and stand under the main doorway!”
“Everyone knows the doorway is the safest place in the house, like a magic portal!”
Banta looked at Santa with genuine horror.
“A magic portal?”
“Santa, where did you get that idea, a 1950s film?”
“In a modern, non-engineered building like this, the doorway is often the weakest point!”
“It will be the first thing to buckle under the lateral load.”
“It is not a magic portal; it is a human-sized coffin.”
“You will be crushed!”
“So… the doorway is a bad plan?” Santa whispered, his confidence completely gone.
“It is a plan for a very flat Santa,” Banta said.
“The only correct plan, the only magic we have, is to DROP to the ground, take COVER under a sturdy piece of furniture like this heavy wooden bed, and HOLD ON tight until the shaking stops.”
“That is the only plan.”
संता – बंता की इस जुगलबन्दी से आज हमने क्या सीखा:-
अधिकांश संरचनाये खतरे की जद में / The 85.5% Danger
दिल्ली में अवस्थित भवनों या अवसंरचनाओं में से अधिकांश में भूकम्प सुरक्षा सम्बन्धित प्रावधान नहीं किये गये हैं, और भूकम्प की स्थिति में यह संरचनाये क्षतिग्रस्त हो सकती हैं। A vast majority of Delhi’s housing stock (over 85%) is not compliant with seismic codes and is highly vulnerable to collapse.
बाहरी चमक-दमक से धोखा मत खाइये / Looks Can Be Deceiving
जरूरी नहीं हैं कि विशिष्ट सुविधाओं से सुसज्जित व आधुनिक प्रतीत होने वाली हर संरचना में भूकम्प सुरक्षा सम्बन्धित प्रावधानों का समावेश किया गया हो / A new, modern-looking building with glass facades and fancy amenities is not necessarily “earthquake-proof.” The real strength is invisible, in the compliance with building codes, the quality of materials, and the integrity of the joints.
असुदृढ़ीकृत चिनाई वाले भवनों में अधिक खतरा हैं / Unreinforced Masonry (URM) is a Killer
सुदृढ़ात्मक उपायों के बिना ईट – गारे से बनी संरचनाओं में लचीलेपन का आभाव होता हैं और भूकम्प की स्थिति में यह भरभरा कर ध्वस्त हो सकती हैं / Buildings made of brick and mortar without a reinforcing frame (like steel or timber) are extremely brittle and will shatter during the side-to-side shaking of an earthquake.
दरवाजे के नीचे सुरक्षित स्थान होना एक भ्रम हैं / Myth-Busting – The Doorway is NOT Safe
वर्तमान में बन रहे अधिकांश भवनों में दरवाजो के नीचे का स्थान सुरक्षित नहीं होता हैं / The belief that standing in a doorway is safe is a dangerous and outdated myth. In modern homes, the doorway is not the strongest part and offers no protection from falling objects.
झुको, बचो और पकड़ो ही सुरक्षा का एकमात्र उपाय / The Only Drill: Drop, Cover, and Hold On
झुको, बचो और पकड़ो भूकम्प की स्थिति में बचाव हेतु वैज्ञानिक रूप से प्रमाणित तथा विश्व भर में सभी के द्वारा संस्तुत विधि हैं / The scientifically proven and universally recommended safety procedure during an earthquake is to Drop to the ground, take Cover under a sturdy table or desk, and Hold On to it.
संता – बंता की यह जुगलबन्दी आपको कैसी लगी, कृपया हमें जरुर बताये
व
इस जुगलबन्दी को बेहतर बनाने के लिये अपने सुझाव अवश्य दें।
हमें हमेशा की तरह आपके सुझावों, प्रतिक्रियाओं व कटाक्षो का बेसब्री से इंतजार रहता हैं और सच मानिये इसी के आधार पर हम अपने आप में, अपनी सोच व रचनात्मकता में सुधार करने को प्रेरित होते हैं।
सो अच्छा – बुरा जैसा आपको महसूस हुवा हो, कमेंट जरुर करते रहें।
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