Tilting buildings, building collapse, et cetera
Friday, 12 November 2010
Md Nuruzzaman
The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) is the guardian body looking after the safety and quality of buildings and other infrastructures in the city. This body is severely criticised every time people in Dhaka city come to know of a building collapse or related incidents.
A year ago a four-storied building caved in at Begunbari in Dhaka. Sometime later, a multi-storied building started tilting in another place of the city. The occupants of the building were evacuated and the building had to be demolished. Two days ago, people in Dhaka city have come to know about another multi-storied building at Kathalbagan area in the city which has started tilting dangerously. This building could come down any time hitting another multi-storied building nearby and bringing that down too. The second building, on being hit by the first one, could again hit another adjacent building. Thus, widespread destruction is apprehended in that area and the occupants of all three buildings under threat have been evacuated to their great troubles. RAJUK authorities are at their wit's ends about how to bring down the tilting structure only, without impacting on the other two buildings. Undoubtedly, it poses as a great challenge for RAJUK.
According to media reports, the plan for this tilting building was not entirely unapproved by RAJUK but its builders had not followed the approved plan and built it as per their will, flouting all requirements of safety. RAJUK can, of course, be asked to account why or how such a defective building was allowed to be built without proper supervision. The tilting building was built in a place which was formerly a ditch or pond. Clearly, the land-filling process for it was not proper or the piling and foundation laying works were not done as these should have been done.
While RAJUK authorities cannot absolve themselves of their responsibilities, in all fairness there are other factors to be considered also. For example, Dhaka is a very fast growing city. In contrast, RAJUK remains seriously handicapped by funds, manpower and other supports to play out its supervisory and enforcement activities extensively. If the annual budget had kept enough provisions in it for RAJUK to appoint adequate number of inspectors or supervisors, sufficient funds for demolition of risky and unauthorized constructions, then cases such as the one at Kathalbagan could start declining perhaps. Thus, instead of only writing scorching articles in the press or commenting on the electronic media about RAJUK's awful negligence, the wise thing would be greater advocacy to strengthen RAJUK adequately to be able to do its work with real effectiveness. Enough manpower and resources will have to be provided to it for acquiring the basic capacities to do its work as people expect from it.
And not only energizing RAJUK, the most effective safeguard against tilting and collapsing buildings can be no other than massively raising the level of awareness among the people about their own responsibilities. RAJUK cannot be at every home or talk to every potential builder. The builders must have consideration on their own that they should build safe buildings and follow the building code. If the people on their own will not develop such a sense on their own, the same can be attempted through a sustained campaign in the media to that end. It is so necessary to maintain regular publicities in the mass media exhorting people about what safety rules they should observe while building houses or multi-storied structures.
The Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha (RAJUK) is the guardian body looking after the safety and quality of buildings and other infrastructures in the city. This body is severely criticised every time people in Dhaka city come to know of a building collapse or related incidents.
A year ago a four-storied building caved in at Begunbari in Dhaka. Sometime later, a multi-storied building started tilting in another place of the city. The occupants of the building were evacuated and the building had to be demolished. Two days ago, people in Dhaka city have come to know about another multi-storied building at Kathalbagan area in the city which has started tilting dangerously. This building could come down any time hitting another multi-storied building nearby and bringing that down too. The second building, on being hit by the first one, could again hit another adjacent building. Thus, widespread destruction is apprehended in that area and the occupants of all three buildings under threat have been evacuated to their great troubles. RAJUK authorities are at their wit's ends about how to bring down the tilting structure only, without impacting on the other two buildings. Undoubtedly, it poses as a great challenge for RAJUK.
According to media reports, the plan for this tilting building was not entirely unapproved by RAJUK but its builders had not followed the approved plan and built it as per their will, flouting all requirements of safety. RAJUK can, of course, be asked to account why or how such a defective building was allowed to be built without proper supervision. The tilting building was built in a place which was formerly a ditch or pond. Clearly, the land-filling process for it was not proper or the piling and foundation laying works were not done as these should have been done.
While RAJUK authorities cannot absolve themselves of their responsibilities, in all fairness there are other factors to be considered also. For example, Dhaka is a very fast growing city. In contrast, RAJUK remains seriously handicapped by funds, manpower and other supports to play out its supervisory and enforcement activities extensively. If the annual budget had kept enough provisions in it for RAJUK to appoint adequate number of inspectors or supervisors, sufficient funds for demolition of risky and unauthorized constructions, then cases such as the one at Kathalbagan could start declining perhaps. Thus, instead of only writing scorching articles in the press or commenting on the electronic media about RAJUK's awful negligence, the wise thing would be greater advocacy to strengthen RAJUK adequately to be able to do its work with real effectiveness. Enough manpower and resources will have to be provided to it for acquiring the basic capacities to do its work as people expect from it.
And not only energizing RAJUK, the most effective safeguard against tilting and collapsing buildings can be no other than massively raising the level of awareness among the people about their own responsibilities. RAJUK cannot be at every home or talk to every potential builder. The builders must have consideration on their own that they should build safe buildings and follow the building code. If the people on their own will not develop such a sense on their own, the same can be attempted through a sustained campaign in the media to that end. It is so necessary to maintain regular publicities in the mass media exhorting people about what safety rules they should observe while building houses or multi-storied structures.