ALBERT

Description: Central Asia was identified as one of the regions of the world with the highest seismic hazard and risk. However, the actual lack and heterogeneity of available seismological and vulnerability data make any possible seismic risk scenario highly uncertain. In order to improve seismic risk assessment in Central Asia efforts must be carried out to both increase the seismological knowledge in the area and to update and harmonise the existing vulnerability data set in the different countries. To this regard, within the Central Asia Cross-Border Natural Disaster Prevention (CASCADE) project, financed by the German Federal Foreign Office, a cross-border seismological and strong motion network in Central Asia (CAREMON) was installed. Microzonation studies in the capitals of Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan were started, and those for Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan were triggered. The collection of a harmonised (in terms of the European Macroseismic Scale EMS) building vulnerability data base was also achieved, and a capacity building and training program accompanied all the different tasks of the project. All these activities were carried out within the framework of, and supported by, the Global Change Observatory Central Asia (GCO-CA). The digital data collected by the CAREMON network will allow to improve localisation of the seismicity in the area and to improve completeness of earthquake catalogues necessary for sounded seismic hazard assessment at regional scale. The results of the microzonation will be exploited for improving the seismic hazard and risk assessment in the capitals. Attempts were already carried out for Bishkek. Follow-up activities, including the establishment of a vertical array of accelerometer in Bishkek, are foreseen for further improving seismic hazard and risk analysis in Central Asia.