In Almaty, where seismic activity reaches magnitude 9–10 and tectonic faults run underground, construction is possible on any site — provided the approach is technically sound. This was stated at a briefing at the Almaty Regional Communications Service by Timur Nurtayev, director of the Almaty branch of the Union of Builders of Kazakhstan, according to infohub.kz.

"Almaty is located in a zone of magnitude 9–10 seismicity. On top of that, we have tectonic faults. Construction is possible anywhere. I ask that this be approached in a technically competent manner. Foundations must be designed correctly, and the building's frame must be designed correctly so that it can withstand seismic loads in any district. There is no situation where construction is allowed in some places and not in others. International experience shows that in countries such as Japan, for example, or California, they build everywhere, because they don't have much space for construction," said Timur Nurtayev, director of the Almaty branch of the Union of Builders of Kazakhstan.

He added that construction on tectonic faults requires additional requirements for the building's frame.

"You will need to use a more powerful foundation, a more powerful frame, lay more rebar and even use a higher grade of concrete, so that in the event of seismic loads the building's frame can withstand that load. As for the opinion circulating that construction on tectonic faults is not allowed — construction on tectonic faults is possible, but only in compliance with building codes and regulations," the speaker added.

According to him, Almaty has 12 tectonic faults, two of which are active — in the upper and lower parts of the city. Timur Nurtayev called the remaining faults "dormant," where "a rupture will never occur."

"We need to take a technically competent approach and not scare people by saying that one district is dangerous and another is not. Accordingly, we simply need to comply with building codes and regulations and, secondly, apply modern technologies, such as seismic isolators," he added.

It was previously reported that buildings located on tectonic faults are planned to be demolished in Almaty.