ISO 9001:2008 CERTIFIED NEWSPAPER 27 April 2013 17 Jumada II 1434 - Volume 18 Number 5682 Price: QR2 ON SATURDAY Nepalese wins $1m in Qatar Duty Free draw DOHA: A Nepalese national has hit the jackpot in the One Million US Dollar Raffle of Qatar Duty Free at Doha International Airport for the first time. Dilli Ram Parajuli won $1m when his cou- pon, number 1922, was picked in the draw held on Thursday, according to qatardutyfree.com. qa. The winning ticket was picked by the CEO of Qatar Airways and Qatar Duty Free, Akbar Al Baker. The raffle draw was launched in 2006 and Parajuli is the 12th winner. Picture on page 4 Strong winds, thunder, rain forecast for today DOHA: Strong winds accompanied by thunder, lightning and rain are expected to hit the country today. With an increase in cloud formation, the meteorological department has forecast scat- tered rains and high sea levels over the week- end. “This is a normal occurrence known as Al Saryat, which occurs at the end of April. It is usually marked by the last rains of win- ter,” an official from the department told The Peninsula yesterday. “People should take care as winds may become very strong at times, and with a rise in the sea level, we might also issue a warning for rough seas,” the official said. The department has urged people to call it if they notice any abnormality in offshore areas. This instabil- ity in the weather is expected to last at least a week. Temperatures in Doha would hover between 23 and 28 degrees Celsius. NEEDED: Qataris top-spending non-EU tourists in UK LONDON: Tourists from Qatar spend more in the UK than any other group of tour- ists from outside the European Union, say A SEISMIC CENTRE researchers. They spend £1,408 per trans- action on average, beating visitors from the United Arab Emirates, who spent £1,170. However, Chinese tourists appear to be catching up. China’s middle class travellers are spending more than ever in the UK, with THE ISSUE the average spend rising 37 percent in the past year to £747 a transaction, according to Global Kammutty VP Blue, the tax-free shopping firm. The last geological survey was incorporating measures for building designs to magnitude of the aftershocks of the Iranian Pic: guarantee safety against quakes in early 2008 in quakes that were felt here, but it is estimated done in Qatar 43 years ago, in the CMC after a four- to five-magnitude quake that they might have varied between three Another GCC national held 1970, but the recent tremors in hit neighbouring Al Fujairah. and 3.5 on the Richter scale, said the CMC Iran that had their ripple effects The CMC, after lengthy deliberations, vice-chairman. “And not all GCC countries at Dubai airport approved the proposal and forwarded it to the witnessed aftershocks of similar intensity. The here underscore the need to Standards and Specifications Organisation, intensity differed.” DOHA: Social media in the region became conduct fresh geological studies which was under the civic ministry then. “We While talking about the recent aftershocks, Abraham Augusthy overactive yesterday with news of another to see if there are any subsurface even invited the head of the organisation, Dr people have generally been focusing on the sky- GCC citizen having been detained at Dubai Mohamed Saif Al Kuwari, to the CMC and scrapers in West Bay. Design: airport while in transit. People comment- seismic disturbances, suggests a posed several questions to him.” “The fact of the matter is that more vul- ing on Twitter from across the region aired prominent public representative. Al Malki said he was shocked to discover that nerable buildings here are the low-rise ones fury over the arrest of a GCC national they when the new building code was unveiled by that were built years ago when building designs identified as Salah Al Yafei. Qatar a couple of years ago, the proposal wasn’t didn’t take into consideration possibilities of The alleged arrest comes just two months incorporated. It had been ignored entirely. tremors rocking this place,” said Ahmed Jolo, after a Qatari, Dr Mahmoud Al Jaidah, was ow, we need a fresh geologi- The recent aftershocks that caused a scare chairman of Qatari Engineers’ Association. held at Dubai airport while he was in transit, cal map, especially as we have here and in the rest of the GCC region have According to Al Malki, the issue of the new travelling from Bangkok to Doha. lined up mega infrastruc- brought the issue to the fore again. building code will be raised in the CMC again. An angry commentator on Twitter warned “Nture projects worth billions “While it is true that infrastructure project “Definitely, it merits our attention in view of fellow GCC citizens against travelling via ofPAGE dollars over the next6 so many years,” said costs would escalate due to the new building what we have witnessed recently.” Dubai, suggesting one never knew when one Jassem Al Malki, vice-chairman of the Central regulations — provided they are brought into To say that Qatar does not lie in a seismic would be detained. “Al Yafei has nothing to do Municipal Council (CMC). force — we do need them for long-term safety zone and, therefore, is safe doesn’t sound con- with politics. So why has he been picked up,” Al Malki, who is an engineer by training, said of buildings and life and property.” vincing any more, he said. asked an irate woman commentator. he first raised the issue of Qatar’s building code No one has any idea about the exact Continued on page 3 THE PENINSULA & THE GUARDIAN www.thepeninsulaqatar.com [email protected] | [email protected] Editorial: 4455 7741 | Advertising: 4455 7837 / 4455 7780 APRIL 27, 2013 ON SATURDAY 02 www.thepeninsulaqatar.com Home Preparing for a shaky future Pics: Qassim Rahmatullah / Kammutty VP Experts want new specifications for high-rise buildings to improve their resistance to earthquakes BY SATISH KANADY were flooded with calls from clients requesting them to inspect their DOHA: Recent earthquakes in properties to make sure they were Iran and subsequent tremors in safe. Qatar have shattered the general “My team is running crazy, tak- belief that Qatar is immune to ing photos and making assess- quakes. The tremors served as ments. Our clients want to make a stark warning that structures sure their towers are resistant to of any kind in the country would any possible future shocks. Some be susceptible should there be of them have suddenly detected a strong quake in Iran or else- minor cracks on their property. where in the region. They are They want to make sure those a wake-up call for the country, cracks were not developed after which has lined up multi-billion- the tremors”, Ibrahim M Jaidah, dollar construction projects for CEO and Chief Architect of Arab the next five to ten years. Engineering Bureau, said. Although aftershocks of the “We have designed and devel- Ibrahim M Jaidah V P M Basheer tremblors in Iran did not cause oped more than a dozen towers in damage here, they have shaken the West Bay. We received calls from country’s construction sector and most of them asking us to assess the issue five years ago and sub- feels Qatar’s high-rise buildings are and designs accordingly. For the unnerved people. Leading construc- the safety of the building. Different mitted proposals to the Ministry of strong enough to resist the kind taller buildings, there should be a tion companies are busy respond- teams led by our structural engi- Municipality and Urban Planning. of tremors experienced in the past code. The code should be scaled up ing to calls from worried clients. neers are now on the task”, a There should be new stand- two weeks. from the existing zero to one”, says Two leading builders told The top executive of another leading ards and specifications for high- Basheer was involved in the Ibrahim M Jaidah. Peninsula they builder said. rise buildings to improve their designing of more than 20 towers Despite Qatar’s seismic zone zero Structural engineers say most resistance against natural calami- in Doha and more than a dozen in status, Arab Engineering Bureau high-rise buildings in Qatar were ties, especially earthquakes. This the United Arab Emirates. uses zone one guidelines while designed according to minimal should be made part of the Qatar “Though Qatar lies in a seismic designing its high-rises. Some of seismic zone classifications as Construction Code, the Council’s zone zero, while designing 20-plus its towers are designed so that the dictated by the Uniform Building vice chairman, Jassim bin Abdullah floor towers in Qatar, we cover top floors can sway a few metres to Code or the International Building Al Malki, said. He says skyscrapers the zone one guidelines, which are absorb any possible shocks. Code. But most low-rise buildings in West Bay should be given special capable of sustaining any possible On concerns about booming are vulnerable as they were not attention while preparing the new quakes of up to 4.5 magnitude. In waterfront constructions and its designed using any standard code. guidelines. UAE, we cover the zone one against environment impact, Ibrahim Buildings whose walls are made V P M Basheer, Service Group a possible 5.5 Richter scale impact. Jaidah said Qatar’s Environmental of bricks cannot withstand earth- Manager (Structures) of reputed According to me, the problem is Impact Assessment (EIA) guide- quakes measuring more than engineering consultants GHD, not with the towers but with lines were strict and foolproof.