Full Text PDF
ESTD Year: 2017 | Impact Factor: 6.9
DOI Prefix: 10.47001/IRJIET
ESTD Year: 2017 | Impact Factor: 6.9
DOI Prefix: 10.47001/IRJIET
Vol 10 No 7 (2026): Volume 10, Issue 7, July 2026 | Pages: 17-25
International Research Journal of Innovations in Engineering and Technology
OPEN ACCESS | Research Article | Published Date: 13-07-2026
Delhi, designated as Seismic Zone IV per IS 1893:2016, faces significant earthquake risks due to rapid urbanisation, declining infrastructure, and non-compliance with construction codes. This study used the Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) method, as outlined in FEMA P-154 (2015), to evaluate the seismic vulnerability of structures in Delhi. The RVS methodology involves a rigorous visual assessment of structural and non-structural components, assigning risk scores based on discovered defects, including soft stories, unreinforced brickwork, and vertical irregularities. This study presents a cost-efficient and successful approach for prioritising structures for comprehensive evaluation or retrofitting by modifying FEMA recommendations to align with local construction patterns, thus addressing the urgent necessity for seismic risk reduction in densely populated metropolitan areas.
The results indicate that C3 and URM structures exhibit the most vulnerability, with collapse probability of 6.11% and 3.11% over a 50-year timeframe, respectively, above the 2% threshold for Maximum Considered Earthquake (MCE) shaking. Buildings C1 and C2 demonstrate significantly diminished hazards, underscoring the need of seismic-resistant design. The RVS scores effectively classify buildings as "safe" or "unsafe," requiring immediate action for high-risk structures.
This study validates the effectiveness of RVS as a preliminary screening tool for the diverse building inventory in Delhi, linking rapid assessment with thorough engineering analysis. The report advocates for legislative steps to institutionalise RVS in urban planning, including obligatory examinations for pre-2001 structures and community awareness programs. By integrating RVS conclusions with advanced vulnerability assessments, stakeholders can develop accurate retrofitting solutions, ultimately enhancing seismic resilience across the city.
Earthquake Risk Assessment, Rapid Visual Screening (RVS), Seismic Vulnerability, Delhi Buildings, Structural Vulnerability, FEMA P-154, IS 13920, Building Retrofitting.
Parveen Rani, Dr. V.K Saini, & Dr. S.K Chandel. (2026). A Study on Earthquake Risk Assessment of Buildings Using Rapid Visual Screening (RVS) Method. International Research Journal of Innovations in Engineering and Technology - IRJIET, 10(7), 17-25. Article DOI https://doi.org/10.47001/IRJIET/2026.107003
This work is licensed under Creative common Attribution Non Commercial 4.0 Internation Licence
FEMA-155. Rapid visual screening of buildings for potential seismic hazards: supporting document. Washington DC: Federal Emergency Management Agency; 2015.
BMTPC. Methodology for Documenting Seismic Safety of Housing Typologies in India. New Delhi: Building Materials and Technology Promotion Council; 2012
IS 1893:2016, ―Criteria for earthquake resistance design of structure, ‖ Indian Standard, Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi, 2016
IS 13935: 2009, ―Seismic evaluation, repair and strengthening of masonry buildings guidelines‖, code of practice, Indian Standard, Bureau of Indian Standards, New Delhi.
Arya, A. S. "Rapid structural and non-structural assessment of school and hospital buildings in SAARC countries." SAARC Disaster Management Centre, New Delhi (2011).
Sinha R, Goyal A. A National Policy for Seismic Vulnerability Assessment of Buildings and Procedure for Rapid Visual Screening of Buildings for Potential Seismic Vulnerability. 2004.
Jain SK, Mitra K, Kumar M, Shah M. A Proposed Rapid Visual Screening Procedure for Seismic Evaluation of RC-Frame Buildings in India. Earthquake Spectra 2010; 26 (3):709–29.
Jain, S. K., et al. "Preliminary observations on the origin and effects of the January 26, 2001 Bhuj (Gujarat, India) earthquake." Earthquake Eng. Res. Inst. Spec. Earthquake Rep., EERI Newsletter (2001): 1-16.
Coskun O, Aldemir A, Saharan M. Rapid screening method for the determination of seismic vulnerability assessment of RC building stocks. Bull Earthquake Eng 2020; 18(4):1401–16.
S.K. Agarwal &A. Chaurasia, Methodology for seismic vulnerability assessment of building stock in mega cities, A Workshop on Microdonation, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore.
Jha, Salil. RISK EVALUATION OF EXISTING BUILDINGS USING RVS AS TOOL. Diss. DELHI TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY, 2021.
Wang, Y., and Goettel, K. A., ―Prioritization of seismic retrofits of school buildings in Oregon using an enhanced rapid visual screening methodology, ‖ Proceedings of the 8th U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering, April 18– 22, 2006, San Francisco.
Anil, K. Chopra, "Dynamics of structures", Prentice-Hall of India Private Limited New Delhi India, 2008.
Ruichong et al. (2011)," Modeling of seismic wave motion in high-rise buildings” Probabilistic Engineering Mechanics 26 (2011) 520–527
Wakchaure M.R, Peed S.P. (2012),"Earthquake Analysis of High-Rise Building with and without in filled walls" International Journal of Engineering and Innovative Technology (IJEIT) Vol.2, Issue.
Raju k. R, et al (2013),"Analysis and Design of RC Tall Building subjected to wind and earthquake loads" National Conference on Emerging Technologies in civil engineering.
Dr. Kameshwari. B., Dr. Elangovan. G., et al(2013),"Dynamic response of high-rise structures under the influence of discrete staggered shear wall" International journals of Engineering Science and Technology (IJEST).
Keerthi gowda B. S. (May 2014),"A Review on Seismic Analysis of Multistory Building with Floating Column using STAAD.PRO, International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology (IJERT) ISSN:2278-0181, Vol. 7 Issue 04, April-2018
Mahesh, s., Dr. Rao, B.P (2014)," Comparison of analysis and design of regular and irregular configuration of Multistory story building in various Zones and various types of soils using ETABS and STADD" Journals of Mechanical and Civil Engineering, Vol. 11.