Sector Disaster Management Planning

Project Type Development Study

Project Title Master Plan Study on Urban Seismic Disaster Prevention and Management

Location Greater Tehran Area, Islamic Republic of Iran

Client Tehran Disaster Mitigation and Management Center / JICA

Project Period August 2002 – September 2003

Problems addressed by the Project

Tehran, the capital of Iran, has a high earthquake occurrence potential according to geographical researches and historical data since it is situated at the slope of Alborz Mountains, part of Alpine-Himalayan Organic Zone. According to an earlier study (Seismic Micro-Zoning Study in which OC Global was involved in as the lead company of Joint Venture), it was estimated that a large earthquake would cause huge human casualties and physical damage due to the concentration of population and urban functions, dominance of Masonry buildings which have poor earthquake resistance, and lack of disaster mitigation resources such as open spaces and rescue functions. Hence, in order to save the life of citizens in Tehran and reduce economic damage to the city and nation, the Government of Iran urgently requested the Government of Japan to formulate a comprehensive master plan for earthquake disaster mitigation and management. Major issues to be addressed to cope with catastrophic earthquake disaster in Tehran included the inadequacies of administrative integration of relevant disaster management sectors, legal framework, and public awareness.

Service Provided

OC Global provided the following services focusing on a realistic and comprehensive planning approach on the basis of data collection and in depth analysis:

1. Risk Assessment

Conducted seismic diagnosis for Steel, RC and Masonry structure buildings and infrastructure Identified vulnerable areas to an anticipated earthquake with the aid of GIS, and created a comprehensive

disaster resource map for each of the 22 districts in Tehran Municipality

2. Disaster Management Planning

Prepared comprehensive disaster management plan of an anticipated earthquake disaster event in three stages: namely, preparedness, emergency response and rehabilitation. Conducted in depth consultation for emergency response planning by covering specific issues such as rescue and relief operation, communication network system, etc.

Institutional and systemic reorganization, economic and financial aspects, and risk management policies are all taken into account.

Two district-wide disaster management plans were introduced for a selected District as a pilot study

3. Promotion of Community-Based Disaster Preparedness Activity

Adopted a bottom-up approach to disaster preparedness since the promotion of public awareness and preparedness at community level is indispensable to mitigate the disaster damage

Several community workshops were held from district level to small community unit level to promote community activity on disaster preparedness and its sustainability

Project Recommendations

Additional recommendations and project proposals to reduce the vulnerability of Tehran city:

Physical Improvement of Buildings and Infrastructure Systemic reformation of building construction appraisal and the retrofitting scheme applicable to Iranian

construction circumstances District-wide Redevelopment Substantial physical redevelopment of the vulnerable areas to earthquakes in accordance with city planning.

Land use adjustment and value-added redevelopment schemes were proposed to ensure financial availability.

Establishment of Emergency Operation System Emergency response system and plan that is fully functional and operational Community-Based Approaches Capacity building of community organization and development of administrative system in social sector to

promote a bottom-up approach to disaster preparedness