The frequency of similar occurrences has been alarming: On 28 June, 2014 more than twenty people died in two incidents, one in Chennai and the other in Delhi. While the building that collapsed in Delhi was 50 years old, the one in Chennai was under construction. In the same year, a seven-storey building collapsed in Santa Cruz while another building collapsed at Mumbra.
In October 2016, another five-storey building collapsed in Bandra East. These statistics do not account for the major and minor fatal building collapses in other cities and small towns which go largely unreported.
Reasons for building collapses:
Building failures can be categorized into the two broad groups of structural failures and application failures. Experts believe that most of the building collapses in India are due to the use of substandard materials, lack of know-how about materials, insufficient trained manpower and inadequate supervision in constructing multi-storey structures.
Also, one of the major natural factors that result into building collapse is rainfall and therefore buildings need to be constructed adequately bearing in mind the climatic conditions of the region. Most seepage related issues are considered only during monsoons. However, seepage causes various problems such as rusting and internal leakages. In most cases, it is difficult to ascertain the problem.
Sometimes, the builders do not consider the long term effects of using poor quality products. Although, the projects are completed with good exteriors and appearances but the interiors are not appropriately addressed.
Therefore, it is important that the registrar of societies and municipal authorities ensure that the structural audit is done as per regulatory stipulations since it falls within their mandate.
Forewarning through structural audits:
It is in this context that the issue of conducting timely structural audits for buildings has been emphasized on multiple occasions. However, the need for carrying out structural audits is mostly taken-up only when property or lives are lost during mishaps such as building collapses. This is especially alarming in cases of old buildings that are found strewn across Indian cities.
There are around 31,000 co-operative housing societies (CHS) in Mumbai. In addition, around 10,000 tenanted buildings across suburbs and another 17,000-18,000 cessed buildings which are nearly 50-60 years old remain in South Mumbai. However, the vast majority of these old structures will have to opt for redevelopment in the near future.
The shocking or rather most disturbing fact is, currently not even 10 per cent of structures undergo structural audit although there is strict regulation from the municipal corporation in this regard.
From 31,000 CHS in Mumbai, around 15,000-16,000 urgently need repairs. These societies are not being reconstructed due to some issues. Such buildings consider redevelopment as an alternative to repairs. However, redevelopment is not a substitute for repairs. Repairs have to be carried out by the CHS and redevelopment should not be considered as an easy alternative. But unfortunately merely 10 per cent of these buildings actually conduct repairs.
Need for change in mindset:
The cost sensitive Indian market is reluctant to pay extra and seldom realize the intricacies related to building and construction. All that is needed is an open mind and systematic analysis of the opportunities.
The society and the homeowner need be educated that building repairs and maintenance are vital elements that contribute in sustaining a structure for a longer duration One should realize it’s not the external beauty of the building that should be looked upon, it’s how well the structure will be able to stand the test of time.
Additionally, CHS should undergo structural audit within specified timelines so that the structure can be accurately diagnosed for damages and other aspects that leads to weakening of a building. It also leads to less expenditure since remedial action is initiated when the damage is still in its initial stage
With technology driving innovation, each day brings new products and systems which can alter the conventional systems completely and bring about a revolutionary change in current practices.It is important that the industry creates awareness about the importance of modern construction techniques and materials. It could be one of the effective pathways to alleviate India of building collapses – a problem that has plagued the nation since quite a few years.
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