Thursday, April 23, 2015

27 Years Required to Make Groningen Province Earthquake-Proof

The production of natural gas in the province of Groningen has caused earthquakes.  A study by the engineering office Van Rossum, ordered by the provincial government, has found that 170,000 buildings, of which 152,000 are homes, will have to be reinforced.  That will take twenty-seven years and cost 30 billion euros.   It may lead to major social problems, such as the fact that many people will have to live in unsafe buildings for a prolonged period of time.  Furthermore, it has been pointed out that the Netherlands has very little experience in rendering buildings earthquake-proof.

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