Are we really safe in our homes?

In India, the maximum loss to life and property occurs due to the frequent occurrence of natural disasters, and this causes huge socio-economic losses to the nation. Therefore, efforts to promote and nurture safer building construction that would take care of normal loads and forces and mitigate the effects of natural disasters are of paramount importance. Before proceeding further, it is important to know the reasons to move towards safe buildings:

During the last few years, there have been a number of incidents that inspired the need for safe buildings:

•    January, 2001: An earthquake of 7.6 magnitude struck Gujarat, destroying around 40% of homes, number of schools and hospitals, connecting roads and the city’s historic Swaminarayan temple and forts like Prag Mahal and Aina Mahal.

•    November, 2011: A four-storey residential-cum-commercial building was completely gutted in a major fire and estimated property loss was approximately Rs. 2 crores.

•    Recently, there was news about buildings collapsing in Mumbai and Chennai that claimed a number of lives.

All these could have been prevented if proper precautions had been carried out when constructing a building. This can only happen when effective building engineering and good material are used. There should enforcement upon awareness, appreciation and application model for using disaster resistant and cost effective building technologies.

Witnessing the situation, Government of India has introduced National Building Code for construction. It is a document comprising standardized requirements for the design and construction of buildings in India. The existence of this code is to protect the public health, safety and welfare. The building which do not follow building code or avoid implementing of such code will be demolished or the builders have to pay penalty.

General Building requirements:
Fire safety or fire protection: Fire safety is now no longer an option but a necessity when constructing a building. In case of a building that exceeds more than three storeys, a certificate of approval from the Director of Fire Force has to be obtained before the issue of the building permit.
 
As per the national building code, staircase should be provided as a fire exit. Apart from this, the builder have to provide diesel generators if the building is taller than 25 metres. The builders have to comply with the requirements of fire protection given in part IV, Fire Protection National Building Code of India. Builders have to utilise the passive fire-rated systems that provide protection from flames, smoke and heat and contain the fire to its place of origin. It’s important to adopt the active and passive control measures for optimise fire protection in buildings.

Foundation and the structural design of the building: All material used should be of excellent quality and at par with the standards of Bureau of Indian Standard specification and codes as provided by National Building Code of India. There should not be any construction or reconstruction or alteration to the existing plan of the building in the intervening spaces between the buildings. The height of the handrail in the staircase should not be less than 90 cm. Every slab or balcony overlooking any open space should be provided with good quality parapet walls or guard rails of height which is not less than 1.20 metres.

Protection from earthquake: In India, 55% of land area is highly vulnerable to earthquake. To avoid destruction of buildings through this natural disaster, a few stringent guidelines have been approved by our Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh, who also heads the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA). When constructing high-rise apartments, these guidelines should be adhered to. The disaster caused by earthquakes can be averted if the building is seismic-proof. Also, one should keep tabs on the use of strong beams, thick slabs which will help as a rigid diaphragm, use of reinforcing bars at the corner and at the junctions of the wall. Buildings should be regular and symmetrical in shape.

A building comprises of beams, concrete, slabs and much more. All the material used should be of high quality. Also, the construction is done based on the approved plan. Soil testing, cube testing should be done at the time of construction to make sure that the bricks and other materials are of good quality. Once the building is completed, proof-checking should be done by experts.

Source:http://www.moneycontrol.com/news/real-estate/are-we-really-safeour-homes_1159322.html