|
Construction in the Himalayas: A New Challenge
Construction is a major means to develop infrastructure of any state. This largely involves building roads, bridges, common service centres etc. The whole construction management approach should depend upon the status and nature of a region, demand, resources and most importantly ecological dimensions. This is crucial in fragile and ecologically sensitive regions such as the Himalayan region. The constant threat of floods and earthquakes makes this belt relatively more vulnerable in comparison to other geographical locations. In the past whenever a community infrastructure was built, elements such as local wisdom, masonry and materials were largely used. Such an inclusive approach was sustainable as most of the gaps were adequately addressed. The disasters in the past few years have shown our poor construction management approach in Uttarakhand and in other parts of the Himalayan region. In the recent past, the values of construction have largely fallen. A contractual and time bound approach especially in public service infrastructure has entirely jeopardised the construction values. Roads are often seen collapsing in different areas. The reason is simple. The roads are built under some government scheme or mission within a certain target period. Himalayan fragility and sensitivity are factors that are not really considered during the design or the construction phase. In earlier times, roads were built manually where labour was the main resource. Ever since mechanisation came, roads have been built using JCBs, drillers and other such mechanisms. This combined with the most destructive tools such as using dynamite to blast the rocks brings huge debris down and shakes the base rocks making them more fragile from within. This is the reason why roads get damaged and collapse in any heavy rain. Secondly, treating the road sides with necessary vegetation and support mechanism is critical, so that frequent road debris can be prevented. In many European countries and in China as well, road construction is inclusive of such green treatment. Sadly, in India, this approach has largely been ignored. Another major curse in construction is seen in building structures. The location of construction particularly in residential units has been over looked. This was one of the main reasons for the huge property loss in the 2013 Uttarakhand flood disaster. Most of the damaged structures were either built in the vulnerable zone i.e. close to the river or in a location where the foundation was poor. All these structures became the first target of nature’s fury. There is a simple principal in mountain construction wisdom - rivers, streams, deep slopes and poor basic rocks should never be preferred for residential purposes. In the past, location of construction was based on understanding nature’s behaviour and functioning. In construction management, materials and techniques are two major components. In the mountains, wood was the main construction material used in the past as it was locally available. The advantage of using wood was that it was resistant to earthquake terrors, easily replaceable and did not cause too much physical harm on collapse. As time went by, wood scarcity led to local stone and soil being used as construction material in many places. The materials were fine but the poor sub-standard masonry work in stone breached the community trust. This was the reason why brick became the major construction material over the last few years. It resulted in the skilled stone masons losing their jobs. The use of local materials in construction has larger benefits. Since the materials are locally available they can be protected and conserved. Local skills exist within the community using local wisdom and resources which helps overcome many economic limitations of the underprivileged mountain communities. A study was made post the 1991 and 1999 earthquake disasters to review the status of residential structures in the past and the recent past. It was found that the structures built in the past using local skills and materials remained intact and those that had been built recently suffered losses. Considering the huge scale of devastation and loss incurred to life, property and infrastructure during the 2013 Uttarakhand disaster; construction management has become an important area where government needs to pay serious thoughts. Emphasis needs to be given to local wisdom, materials and skills as these elements are time-tested in the construction approach. Rising construction cost due to imported materials is not in favour of local ecology. Use of local construction material promotes resource growth and the same adds strongly to the ecology and the economy of the region. Also, low cost disaster prone housing technologies need to be promoted. We are in a country where large number of research institutes are currently working on construction management. Their involvement in rebuilding rural houses and public buildings is important today. ■
Dr. Anil P Joshi
|