Poor structural audits are resulting in building collapses and mishaps. Experts discuss key reasons...
For the last five years, there have been nearly
fifteen building collapses in Mumbai and the suburbs, which have proven
fatal for hundreds of people. The recent building collapse at
Kamathipura was a subject of much discussion. The concern of the
residents and civic activists of the area is that the structural audit
done in 2015 showed that the building was not declared 'dilapidated' and
it was only marked for repairs.
A resident of the area says, “For the last ten
years, I have been monitoring the buildings in the area and have been
following up with officials about the action to be taken for the
buildings, which are not listed as `dangerous'. But there is no answer.
Also, we are not aware of the norms, which they follow for audits as
many buildings, which are in a bad condition, are not in the list.“ At
present, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) conducts a survey
of the civic buildings and gives a notice for either repairs or
evacuation. Every ward officer has been instructed to carry out the
procedure and submit the report. Rajkumar Sharma, a civic activist
informs, “In 2007, the civic body had made structural audit compulsory
for owners, developers and residents of the buildings and housing
societies. In case of a failure to carry out a structural audit, it had
also imposed a fine of Rs 25,000. But till date, no strict action has
been taken.“
Officials in MHADA informed that the Mumbai Building
Repairs and Reconstruction Board, every year, comes out with a list of
buildings, which are in a dangerous condition. According to the recent
report released by MHADA, there are nearly 14,000 cessed buildings only
in the island city, which were constructed before 1969.
Chief officer of MHADA's Mumbai Building Repairs and
Reconstruction Board says, “Every year, the MHADA carries out a survey
of dangerous buildings. Also, the tenantslandlords of private and MHADA
acquired buildings have been told to compulsorily carry out structural
audits if the building is more than 30 years old and even if there are
visible problems occurring due to monsoon vagaries.“
Pavan Nishad, a civil engineer and structural
consultant says, “During the audits, emphasis should be laid on
electrical, plumbing or other mechanical systems, which have become
dangerous or inoperable. If the foundation has settled or is damaged,
the building should be vacated immediately. Earlier, the BMC had no
standardised format but now, a checklist has been prepared.“
The other concerns of the experts are that even in
the newly constructed and under-construction buildings, there have been
mishaps due to the use of poor construction material.
In light of several building collapses in
densely-populated areas of our cities, the need for quality construction
materials and techniques, has once again been brought to the
forefront.Many of the older buildings in the cities like Mumbai and its
surroundings, were constructed taking into consideration inadequate
quality parameters and should have been redeveloped long ago.However, it
is not only old buildings, which are in danger of a collapse but also
newer constructions have been built on a cookie-cutter basis with a view
to maximise profitability.
The other issue is about the illegal buildings,
which come up in the area without proper permissions. The developers
don't abide by the mandatory norms necessary for construction. Experts
have welcomed the decision where the High Court has given a decision for
not regularising the illegal buildings.
This is a good judgment as it sends out the right
signal to the industry and the end-consumer. If illegal buildings get
regularised, then it will set a wrong precedent going forward,
especially for Mumbai where large-scale development is underway.Most of
these buildings are a deterrent to progress.
Structural audits need to be performed on older buildings too, if Mumbai is to develop into an international city.
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