The $1.5 billion Couva Children's Hospital is considered to be one of the flagship projects of the Kamla Persad-Bissessar led government.However, in 2013 this ambitious multimillion dollar facility came under intense scrutiny after it was revealed, exclusively in the T&T Guardian, that the ultra-modern multi-facility project is being constructed along the earthquake active Central Range fault line.
The T&T Guardian, in a series of articles, highlighted the fears and concerns of seismic experts and structural engineers, all of whom, said the hospital site fell within an earthquake danger zone.They recommended that a site-specific study be conducted. The experts said the geotechnical report on the site did not provide sufficient earthquake magnitude parameters to ensure the hospital design was strong enough to resist a 7.5 magnitude earthquake.
Seismologist Dr Joan Latchman, director of the University of the West Indies (UWI) Seismic Research Centre, in an interview in August, confirmed that the current location of the hospital is in "close proximity" to the fault line. She recommended that construction be halted.Also in August, experts, including respected US Professor of Geology Dr John Weber, who did research on the Central Range fault line, urged the Government to review its design and the findings of the geotechnical survey done on the site.
Lloyd Lynch, a senior research fellow in instrumentation at the UWI Seismic Research Centre (SRC), said seismic hazard maps used in the geotechnical report did not include new information about the active fault line.He said he believed the design of the $1.5 billion Couva Children's Hospital, which was produced by US firm HKS Inc, may be inadequate to withstand a major earthquake along the Central Range Fault (CRF) which is mere kilometres from the Preysal site.
The Government defended the project and assured all necessary steps were taken to ensure the design of the hospital was structurally sound.However, the experts' concerns prompted an emergency meeting among Health Minister Dr Fuad Khan, Housing Minister Dr Roodal Moonilal, Urban Development Corporation (Udecott) chairman Jearlean John, seismologists from the UWI Seismic Research Centre and engineers.
At the end of the meeting the ministers said the project would go ahead at the current site and undertook to release the findings of the private geotechnical report produced by Earth Investigation Systems Ltd (EISL) and consultant Dr Derek Gay.Khan defended the meeting after experts claimed it was a "publicity stunt"."We have placed a committee of seismologists, Udecott, health, engineers and HKS architects, so their comments are unfounded and inaccurate.
"We have done what was needed and they can get everything to comment on from the committee. So it is unfair to say that our good action was a publicity stunt," the minister stated.Following that meeting Gay, together with Udecott and HKS experts, held a consultation with seismic experts in Port-of-Spain where they presented their findings and research on the Central Range fault line. They assured that the hospital was being constructed up to standard even in the absence of a National Building Code.
A National Building Code committee, headed by Shyankaran Lalla, is yet to receive funds to begin formulation of a code even though the committee is 18 months-old.
Seismic Centreconducts independent study
Lynch told the T&T Guardian, the Research Centre is conducting an independent site specific assessment on the Couva hospital site to submit to the Government.He said the SRC had asked that government commission the same assessment before construction work began on the hospital site to ensure safety of the design of the facility.
"We had called for site specific hazard assessment but that was not done. What we at Seismic are planning to do is to submit a report on the seismic safety in the country. We are doing a site-specific hazard assessment for the (hospital) site. That (assessment) will be attached as part of the general report to submit to government," Lynch said.
"We have taken it upon ourselves to do it (the assessment) and we will present it to government. If used, it will make the facility much more safer during earthquakes," he said.Lynch said the site-specific hazard assessment would look at the problems that really should be highlighted when designing a critical facility at that site."We are hoping that the designer will use the information that we produce in that report which will be ready early next year," Lynch said.
He said thus far they had not found anything to raise alarm bells about the site. However, the report was in its early stages and when it was completed a proper analysis would be done.Lynch said the main concern experts raised in August was that the UWI hazard maps used for the hospital design did not take into consideration recent findings pertaining to Central Range Fault.He said because it (the project) was near to the fault the level of hazard would be high and should be taken into consideration in the design of a critical facility.
Lynch said given the level of seismic activity in T&T with some 23 earthquakes registered for this year–the largest was of 6.4 magnitude–the Government must consider earthquakes a strong threat."The level of seismicity over the last two to three years has picked up. The physical evidence and the statistical evidence suggests that one should take greater cognizance of the threat and put measures in place to mitigate the effects. And to be fair the Government is doing quite a bit. The only problem is it is quite ad hoc," Lynch added.
He commended the Government for its Planning and Facilitation of Development Act 2013 which will be debated soon in parliament and its Seismic Microzonation Studies Project.
more info
About the Couva Children's Hospital project
The hospital, which is being constructed off the southbound lane of the Solomon Hochoy Highway, Couva, near the Preysal Interchange, is being built with funds provided through a concessionary US$150 million loan from the Government of China. Construction of the hospital and burns treatment centre began in March.
Work is being done by the Shanghai Construction Group under the supervision of Udecott on a design-finance-construct model. Thus far, lands, which once belonged to Caroni (1975) Ltd, have been cleared and piles are being driven into the ground for the hospital's foundation.