A geological expert has warned that recent seismic activity could indicate that a geological fault passing through Cape Town has “woken up” and could hold a “nasty shock” for Capetonians.
This emerged after the City of Cape Town insisted that a new 20-storey high-rise building in Table View be “earthquake resistant”.
It has highlighted the fact that the suburb virtually straddles a major geological fault in the Earth’s crust. Developers of the new R140-million block of shops and flats said the building had to meet stringent earthquake resistance requirements.
Quake specifications apply throughout the city and structural engineers say all buildings will in future have to meet the building code. Essentially it means that concrete about three times the normal strength has to be used in construction.
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“Previously these requirements were not actively enforced by the city but in recent times the city has insisted that buildings be earthquake resistant to a much greater extent,” said Mike van Wieringen, geotechnical engineer and geologist.
Engineer Wayne Richie said the South Africa Standards Loading Code specified it was compulsory to build earthquake-resistant buildings in the area that stretches from Langebaan to Tulbagh and Rooi Els, an area identified as being “prone to seismic activity”. He said authorities were now ensuring that developers followed specifications.
Years ago the former BP Centre skyscraper on the Foreshore was one of the few buildings in the city to be built to withstand strong earthquakes. The Koeberg nuclear power station further along the coast, built in the early 1980s, was also specifically designed to withstand powerful earthquakes.
Chris Hartenady, a former geology professor at the University of Cape Town and consultant to the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction of the United Nations, this week warned that the huge geological fault had shown signs of again becoming active.
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