Location: Pul-e-Khumri, Afghanistan

Date of start and completion: 2020

Clients: Aga Khan Agency for Habitat

Area: 4373 hectares

Sub Consultant: VESTA ECC

Project Description:

This project focused on seismic hazard, earthquake vulnerability, risk assessment, and risk-sensitive land use planning of Pul-e-Khumri city, Afghanistan. Pul-e-Khumri is the capital and largest city of Baghlan Province and the second-largest city in northeastern Afghanistan. Pul-e-Khumri plays a critical role in national and regional interactions and, as a mother city, nourishes the settlements around it.

The project outputs helped to increase the capacity of Afghanistan’s urban community facing earthquake disasters and made it safe, resilient, and sustainable. The direct beneficiaries of the project have been approximated to be 24,586 households (building dwellings) with around 221000 populations inhabiting an area of 4,373 Ha and indirect benefit to more than 6 million people in the entire cities surrounding.

Project Objectives:

The general objectives of this study were to use the state-of-the-art methodology and tools for:

1. Development of the seismic hazard map of Pul-e-Khumri city
2. Building stock vulnerability and risk assessment of Pul-e-Khumri city
3. Risk-sensitive land use plan based on seismic hazard, HVRA studies, and remote sensing analysis of geological and hydro metrological studies (i.e. rock fall, landslide, flood, etc.) of Pul-e-Khumri city
4. Development of a resilient master plan for Pul-e-Khumri city

The outcomes of the project were designated to be obtained in two major components:

1. Seismic Hazard, Building Vulnerability and Risk Assessment of Pul-e-Khumri City,
2. Risk Sensitive Land Use Planning (RSLUP) and Resiliency Program of Pul-e-Khumri City,

Service Provided:

• Seismic hazard assessment
• Flood, landslide, fire, and rock fall hazard assessments
• Vulnerability assessment of building stock
• Economic and Human loss analysis
• Development of knowledge base
• Risk-sensitive land use planning (RSLUP)
• Development of macro-level planning
• Development of zoning plans
• Development of resiliency master plan
• Development of by-laws
• Provision of Action plans, Implementation Program
• Holding capacity-building sessions (training)

The main outcomes of the project were:

1. Seismic hazard assessments considering different hazard levels and possible scenarios along with the development of seismic hazard maps for different return periods.
2. Vulnerability analysis of the buildings for different Seismic hazard levels and earthquake scenarios.
3. Economic loss analysis based on the building for different seismic hazard levels and earthquake scenarios.
4. Human loss analysis based on the building for different seismic hazard levels and earthquake scenarios.
5. Risk-sensitive land use planning (RSLUP) consists of macro-level planning and zoning plans of Pul-e-Khumri city.
6. Development of a resiliency master plan for Pul-e-Khumri city
7. Development of a Road Map, Action Plan, and Implementation program.