Building Code being revised

Ghana'S building code is being revised to incorporate all technical details to strengthen buildings to prevent disasters, Mr. Philip Amoako, Deputy Technical Director of the Geological Survey Department has said.

He said the new code would compel developers to conform to standards and avoid a situation where buildings which reach advanced stages are demolished due to poor siting.

Mr Amoako was speaking at Tema on Thursday during a campaign to educate students of the Tema Secondary School (TEMASCO) on disaster preparedness.

He said the department is currently focusing its education on students because they are in a position to pass on the information to a wider segment of the society.

Dr Ofori Quaah, Chief Geologist of the Ghana National Petroleum Company (GNPC), on his part noted that developers have consistently ignored vital building regulations of the country and are siting buildings at unauthorised places.

That is why all the cities have become choked, particularly Accra, where every available space has been taken by buildings and kiosks.

Dr Quaah, who is also the Chairman of the Geological sub-committee of the National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO), said for instance, the offices of the Ghana News Agency, the National Theatre and the surrounding buildings in Accra were wrongly sited, because the area has geological problems.

He said these areas were originally Olympics training grounds, race course and national hockey pitch but have now been occupied by buildings.

Due to unavailable open spaces in the communities, he said, there is no place for security in the event of earthquakes and any natural disaster because the safest place to hide is an open place.

He said developers have no excuse of being ignorant about building regulations, because before putting up the structure, there is the need to contact the Lands Commission, Town and Country Planning and City Engineers who have the Master Plan showing poor areas. This, he said is to help the planners to offer the necessary technical advice.

Dr Quaah urged developers to attach seriousness to the regulations and to go by them because disasters such as earthquakes that were experienced years ago and the recent past, could re-occur.

He appealed to the government to provide the geological department with modern equipment to enable it to monitor earthquake situation in the country, adding "our present obsolete equipment is a disincentive to such monitoring exercises." — GNA