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Iran

Comprehensive Seismic Disaster Prevention and Management for the Greater Tehran Area

Photo: Iran

The people of Iran live side by side with the fear of disaster, as major earthquakes occur every few years. There are numerous active fault lines in the immediate vicinity of the country's capital, Tehran, and a study on microzoning of the greater Tehran area conducted by JICA from 1998 to 2000 estimates that in a worst-case scenario, there could be as many as 380,000 casualties in a large earthquake. (The population of Tehran was 6.74 million in 1996.)

In 2002 JICA embarked on a Study on Comprehensive Seismic Disaster Prevention and Management for the Greater Tehran Area. With the aim of building an urban environment where people can live without fear of earthquakes, JICA drew up a three-phase master plan for seismic disaster prevention: disaster-prevention measures, emergency-response measures, and a recovery and reconstruction program.

The plan outlines a disaster-response structure involving all levels of society, from the state to the local community. It calls for the establishment of an emergency headquarters following an earthquake, securing of channels of communication, and enhancement of victim support. Based on these proposals, the Tehran municipal body responsible for disaster prevention was reorganized and reinforced, and a disaster management center was set up.

In December 2003, in the midst of these efforts, a major earthquake struck in Kerman Province in southeastern Iran, resulting in the collapse of 80% of the buildings in the city of Bam and over 30,000 casualties. JICA immediately dispatched Japan Disaster Relief teams of humanitarian aid workers and also sent a survey team to Bam to extend the target area of the seismic disaster-prevention study. Emergency measures were implemented to restore water supply facilities, and a program both for short-term recovery and mid- to long-term reconstruction of the city was drawn up.

JICA is currently examining the implementation of technical cooperation projects to strengthen Iran's capacity to respond to future emergencies with a view to making the country more resilient to such disasters.

The Study on Comprehensive Seismic Disaster Prevention and Management for the Greater Tehran Area is designed to attain "freedom from fear," and it has provided swift and flexible humanitarian aid to people facing threats to their lives and livelihoods as a result of a major earthquake. The aspect of human security is integral to the study, as it makes provisions for a full spectrum of support ranging from emergency recovery and urban reconstruction to future disaster-prevention measures and mid- to long-term development plans.

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