GANDHINAGAR, SEPTEMBER 9: The Indian Institute of Technology Gandhinagar (IITGN) has translated an internationally acclaimed guide on earthquake-safe buildings into Hindi and Urdu to make earthquake-safety information more accessible to homeowners, builders and other stakeholders.
IITGN faculty members Prof Manish Kumar and Prof Mohd. Mubashshir Ahsan have translated the publication Earthquake-safe Buildings into Hindi and Urdu, respectively.
The initiative comes amid continuing reminders of the destructive impact of earthquakes, including recent earthquakes in Venezuela, Colombia, Indonesia and Japan, and seeks to promote safer construction practices by making basic earthquake-safety knowledge accessible beyond the engineering community.
Originally authored by Andrew Charleson and published by the World Housing Encyclopedia (WHE), the guide comprises 25 concise, illustrated articles explaining how earthquakes affect buildings and how safer construction practices can reduce loss of life and property.
WHE is an initiative supported by the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI) and the International Association for Earthquake Engineering (IAEE).
The publication is intended for homeowners, builders, contractors, architects, engineers, students, policymakers and others interested in earthquake-safe construction.
“Earthquake safety is not something only engineers need to understand,” said Prof Manish Kumar, Dean of Student Affairs and Associate Professor in IITGN’s Department of Civil Engineering, and Co-chair of the World Housing Encyclopaedia Executive Committee.
He said many decisions affecting a building’s earthquake performance are taken before construction begins, adding that homeowners and builders could make safer choices by understanding basic principles such as keeping building layouts simple and regular, avoiding structural weaknesses, using appropriate materials and ensuring construction quality.
Prof Kumar said making such knowledge available in languages people are comfortable with was an important part of improving earthquake safety.
India’s seismic vulnerability
The initiative assumes particular significance in India, where large parts of the country are exposed to seismic risk, including the Himalayan region, the Northeast and several areas of northern and western India.
IITGN said access to qualified structural engineers remains limited in many regions, contributing to gaps in design compliance, construction practices, material quality control and enforcement.
The Hindi edition has therefore been contextualised for India rather than being a literal translation. Its opening chapter introduces readers to India’s seismic zones, historical earthquakes and locally relevant examples while retaining the educational objectives of the original publication.
Urdu translation seeks wider access
Prof Mohd. Mubashshir Ahsan, Lecturer in IITGN’s Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, said balancing simplicity with scientific accuracy was among the main challenges in translating the guide into Urdu.
He said he sought to use simple and natural Urdu without compromising the technical meaning of the original text.
Prof Ahsan noted that there was limited scientific material on earthquakes available in Urdu and expressed hope that the translation would make essential earthquake-safety information accessible to readers who might otherwise be excluded because such information was not available in a language they were comfortable reading.
Guide covers construction and retrofitting
The guide explains why buildings collapse during earthquakes and introduces readers to earthquake-resistant structural systems, strong foundations, retrofitting of existing buildings, common construction mistakes and the role of building regulations.
Diagrams, photographs and everyday examples have been used to explain the concepts to readers without an engineering background.
The translation initiative builds on IITGN’s wider work in earthquake engineering, including research on earthquake-resistant construction, seismic risk, masonry structures and technologies such as seismic isolation.
Through the Hindi and Urdu editions, IITGN said it aims to encourage informed decisions among potential homeowners, promote safer construction practices and contribute to more resilient communities across India.
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