Specialists of the Institute of Seismology and Atmospheric Physics of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan are working on the creation of seismic zoning maps for the cities of Arkadag and Balkanabat. Subsequently, these maps will be approved as normative documents for construction. This was announced by representatives of the Institute, speaking at the International Conference "Science and Technology for Sustainable Development – 2023", which was held in Tokyo on September 7-8.

The "smart" city of Arkadag, which opened this year, was built according to modern world standards. The city has introduced high technologies and innovations that meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

This is confirmed by the UN Habitat Certificate of Appreciation to the city of Arkadag for the efforts made to implement the principles of inclusive, safe, sustainable and smart neighborhoods that contribute to the localization of Sustainable Development Goals and the New Urban Agenda in Turkmenistan. There is also the certificate of quality of the performed scientific and survey works on seismic microzoning and ensuring the seismic safety of the territory of the city of Arkadag from the Institute of Geophysics and Engineering Seismology named after A.Nazarov of the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia.

Thanks to the improvement of methods for calculating structures, obtaining new materials and developing earthquake-resistant structures based on them, Turkmen scientists have managed to achieve significant success in the field of earthquake-resistant construction.

Speaking at the international platform, experts of Turkmenistan noted the importance of learning lessons from natural disasters.

The 1948 earthquake that occurred in Ashgabat was a great tragedy for Turkmen citizens. The disaster destroyed the city to the ground and claimed the lives of many people. 75 years have passed since those terrible events. The capital of the country has been reborn, becoming a recognized pearl of Central Asia.

Today, increased attention is paid to ensuring earthquake resistance of buildings and structures in Turkmenistan. The state program "Reduction of seismic risk in earthquake-prone zones of Turkmenistan" operates in the country. An expert council on seismic hazard assessment and earthquake prediction has been established at the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan with the participation of a working group of the Institute of Seismology and Atmospheric Physics of the Academy of Sciences of Turkmenistan.

Work is also underway to assess the seismic vulnerability of industrial and social facilities, to create an engineering and seismometric monitoring network in particularly critical buildings and structures in seismically active zones, and to train specialists in seismic risk management.

In accordance with the normative maps of seismic zoning, earthquake-resistant construction, rational land use and long-term socio-economic planning are carried out. Seismic stability and possible damage from the devastating effects of strong earthquakes are assessed.

The Scientific Council of Japan highly appreciated the efforts of Turkmenistan, including those related to the adoption of relevant state programs, laws and regulations, which are effective tools in reducing the risk of natural disasters.

The result of the conference was the "Tokyo Statement 2023". In it, the participating countries of the forum outlined the need to increase investments directed to the improvement and digital transformation of cities.