Masons banding together for safe construction

In most cases, despite having the knowledge of a potential disaster, we fail to realise the importance of adopting the necessary risk reduction measures and do the needful to ensure a coordinated preparedness mechanism. Some construction workers under Sylhet City Corporation have set an example, as they have taken up the challenge to build their city as an earthquake-resilient metropolis. A group of trained construction workers have formed a platform namely Sylhet Mason Forum which basically consists of masons and bar-binders who are putting up a collective effort to raise awareness about earthquake-resilient construction across the community and also helping other construction workers learn and get involved in the process.
Sylhet is in the most vulnerable earthquake zone in Bangladesh. This is largely because of the geographical location, as Sylhet is situated very close to the Dauki Fault which is a major fault line along the southern boundary of the Shillong plateau, which poses a potential and massive threat of seismic hazard for the adjoining areas including the northeastern zone of Bangladesh which largely consists of Sylhet. Not just that, Sylhet also has a history of earthquake as the city is shaken by small tremors every now and then. Sylhet was affected by the Great Indian Earthquake back in 1897 and despite the fact that at that time Sylhet was nowhere near the urban city as it is now, the massive earthquake had caused a number of casualties and devastated a major portion of the infrastructure. The damage was limited only by the lack of infrastructure in the area back at that time.
It has been over a century since that massive earthquake. Over these years Sylhet has seen a lot of changes in terms of structural development. Especially the Sylhet City Corporation has become one of the major metropolises in the country. The city area is seeing rapid urbanisation thanks to the infrastructural boom, which includes a number of high-rise malls and apartment buildings. Unfortunately, this entire urbanisation process has been moving along in an unplanned manner due to a lack of proper governance. Thousands of construction workers work on a daily basis in this remodeling process across Sylhet City Corporation, all of whom practise an unscientific construction procedure. Despite the fact that there is a scientifically sound construction guideline in place i.e. the Bangladesh National Building Code (BNBC) which ensures the structural safety of buildings, people involved in the construction business are either unaware of it or just happy to ignore it to avoid the additional cost involved.
The government of Bangladesh has undertaken different activities to address the scenario such as raising awareness regarding the BNBC and capacity building of construction workers. The Housing and Building Research Institute under the Ministry of Housing and Public Works is working jointly with the Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) to conduct training courses for existing masons, bar-binders and labour contractors. Different international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and local organisations working on earthquake preparedness are also coming forward to contribute to these initiatives. International organisations like the OXFAM and the Islamic Relief Bangladesh have been working to contribute to the efforts of the government through its projects in the Sylhet City Corporation. Under a project funded by the European Commission Humanitarian Aid & Civil Protection, the Islamic Relief Bangladesh organised a capacity building training for selected engineers, architects, masons and bar-binders with technical support from the BUET (Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology) on earthquake-resilient construction, according to the Bangladesh National Building Code.
Some of these trained masons later felt it was their social responsibility to work together and share their learning with other construction workers as they came together and formed the Sylhet Mason Forum. Since the initiation of the forum, the masons have been arranging monthly meetings through an executive committee. In these meetings they discuss how they can raise awareness among the building owners about the BNBC guidelines and also teach the other masons the safe construction techniques. They have also hired a small space at the Khasdobir Point to arrange their regular coordination meetings.
The mason forum has also started a Mason Welfare Fund and Forum Development Fund through a monthly deposit mechanism. Members of the forum can take loans from this fund at a minimal interest rate. Some of the members of the forum have already benefited from it. The forum is also using the fund for different social activities; for example, they observed the May Day in 2013. They are planning to arrange a blood grouping and blood donation campaign very soon for the masons to ensure they can arrange blood if any of the construction workers sustains a severe injury during their perilous work.
The Sylhet Mason Forum is doing a good job in raising awareness about safe construction. They have already convinced some of the building owners to follow the BNBC guidelines during construction of their new buildings. But the job is not that easy all the time, as often their suggestions are ignored by the construction authorities due to the additional financial implications. So the Mason Forum has established coordination with the engineering department of the City Corporation and submitted a list of the trained masons and bar-binders to the Chief Engineer so that they can recommend the list to the construction authorities while approving designs for any new building.
Right now the Sylhet Mason Forum is in the process of getting official registration as a social organisation. They are learning how to maintain their own resolution book and ledger book. They are also striving to increase the number of members of the forum as thousands of other construction workers still remain detached and they follow the scientifically incorrect method of construction. Currently the forum is trying to enlist the trained and untrained masons and bar-binders who are still outside the forum. They know that a bigger forum would ensure a larger platform for knowledge sharing; and more members would ensure a louder voice for making their suggestions heard by the authorities to make sure that all the new constructions are resilient to any impending disaster.
 In view of their number and capacity, these construction workers hold the key to building an earthquake-resilient metropolis. The Sylhet Mason Forum is setting a great example for other cities of the country by putting their coordinated effort towards ensuring infrastructural resilience of Sylhet City. If they receive the support they require in terms of knowledge, skill and governance from the relevant authorities, they will be able to build us a safer future and ensure that the buildings will be safer during an earthquake.
The writer is working as a Programme Coordinator - Urban             DRR with the UK-based Islamic            Relief Worldwide.                                    rahman@islamicrelief-bd.org