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To strengthen capacities to combat seismic risks, a cooperation agreement was signed in Algiers between the National Delegation for Major Risks and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This was stated in a press release from the Ministry of the Interior, Local Authorities and Regional Planning.
The national delegate for major risks, Abdelhamid Afra, chaired a collaboration meeting with a delegation of experts from the JICA agency to discuss and approve the content of a roadmap aimed at strengthening capacities to combat seismic risks for old and historic buildings, the same source said.
On this occasion, a cooperation agreement was signed, including the implementation of an innovative project aimed at strengthening a pilot site against seismic risk, thus enabling the sharing of knowledge between Japanese expertise and Algerian skills.
In addition, it was also agreed to collaborate in the development of the early warning system and the strengthening of research and innovation capacities.
This collaboration also involved several institutions working in this field, such as the Center for Research in Astronomy, Astrophysics and Geophysics (CRAAG), the National Center for Applied Research in Earthquake Engineering (CGS), the National Center for Integrated Studies and Research in Buildings (CNERIB) and the Technical Control Agency for Construction (CTC).
Furthermore, given the importance of scientific tools in the fight against earthquakes, the services of the Ministry of the Interior are working to create a national scientific research and technological development program dedicated to the management of earthquake risks at the CRAAG level.
It should be recalled that, within the framework of the government policy of reducing seismic risks, instructions were given to expand the seismic monitoring network under the CRAAG and the National Center for Applied Research in Earthquake Engineering (CGS)
The strengthening of this network is intended to regulate early warning and, therefore, strengthen the protection of the country’s vital infrastructure in order to prevent further damage. Regarding the role of the said network in early warning, it was specified that 3 or 4 seconds after the earthquake, the center receives the first waves that allow it to locate the epicenter of the earthquake in order to subsequently issue an early warning, which allows protecting certain buildings and vital infrastructure, such as power plants and means of electric transport, in order to prevent further damage.
Algeria has 87 operational seismic monitoring stations which will be reinforced, in the short and medium term, with nearly 20 stations, at a rate of one station every two to three years, in order to guarantee good alert coverage.