BCA flooded with calls from public after tremors
By Wong Siew Ying, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 06 March 2007 2229 hrs

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SINGAPORE: The Building and Construction Authority (BCA) was flooded with calls from concerned public who felt two rounds of tremors following two earthquakes on Indonesia's island of Sumatra.

Many wanted to know if buildings in Singapore were safe and whether they could cushion the impact of such shocks.

The tremors felt across Singapore had many vacating their homes and offices.

But the BCA said there is no need for panic and mass evacuation unless structural distress shows up – usually in the form of cracks in key supporting columns.

BCA said it received over 350 calls from both building owners and HDB flat dwellers.

Ong Chan Leng, Director, Special Functions Division, BCA, said: "While these tremors can be felt by the occupants, by the time these seismic forces reached Singapore, they are reduced or attenuated in technical terms to a much lower level and at these levels, they are not strong enough to cause damage to our buildings."

BCA said along with the HDB, they have despatched about 85 engineers to check on buildings in the city area, as well as the Northern and Eastern parts of Singapore. These are mainly areas where tremors have been reported.

BCA said it would inspect all 154 private buildings and 197 HDB blocks which experienced the tremors.

And experts said there are reasons why the tremors were more extensive this time.

Professor David Higgit, Department of Geography, National University of Singapore, said: "This earthquake is a little closer to Singapore than the previous occasion about two years ago although the earthquake itself is not strong. Usually we would expect the tremors to occur in certain parts of Singapore depending on the underlying geology. Generally speaking, the central part of Singapore and the Eastern, going up to the North of Singapore are more likely to feel the tremors because the underlying material is composed of unconsolidated sediments."

While there is no risk of damage due to the tremors, building owners can contact the BCA at 6325 7720 if they notice any cracks in the supporting structures.


- CNA/so