Sundernagar Report

Training and Demonst Demonst ration Programme on Earthquake Resistant Rural Housing at Sunder Nagar, Himachal Pradesh  A CSIR-800 RSWNET RSWNET Prog ramme ram me May 14-15, 2010

Introduction  A Training-cum-Demons Training-cum-Demonstration tration Programme on Eathquake resistant Rural Housing, was organized at Sunder Nagar, Distt Mandi, Himachal Pradesh on 14 15th  May, 2010 as a part of the CSIR RSWNET Programme for the empowerment of Rural block engineers, NGOs, masons and skilled construction artisans of the 5 districts of Mandi Division of Himachal Pradesh.

The state of Himachal Pradesh has a treasure of traditional architecture. This art and architecture has mostly grown out of age-old cultural heritage and numerous religious beliefs. The ancient art and architecture of Himachal Pradesh has survived in the form of metal sculpture, wood carvings, stone carvings, paintings, traditional residential settlements and temple architecture. They are of indigenous styles and peculiar to the hills. Preparation of layout plans in hill area for the construction of different types of buildings, such as housing clusters, commercial complexes, and institutional instituti onal buildings is much more complicated due to constraints of hilly terrain.

Geography and climatic conditions Himachal Pradesh is a mountainous state with elevation ranging from about 350 meters to 6,000 meters above the sea level. The drainage system of Himachal is composed both of rivers and glaciers. There is great variation in the climatic conditions of Himachal Pradesh due to extreme variation in elevation. The climate varies from hot and sub-humid tropical in the southern tracts to cold, alpine and glacial in the northern and eastern mountain ranges. The average temperature ranges from 28°C to 32 °C except in alpine areas. The entire Himachal Pradesh is located in the earthquake prone Zone IV and Zone V. There is a history of frequent earthquakes of which the most destructive was that of 1905. The district of Mandi is located in Zone ‘V’, the extremely sensitive area from Earthquake point of considerations.

TRADITIONAL SETTLEMENTS Traditional house construction systems have developed in the HP hills using mainly timber and stones. The composite timber and stone construction called Kath Koni and the Dhajji wall construction are common in the old traditional houses, but now there is a great liking for brick and cement houses even in the rural areas. v

The traditional house is in the form of a hut, and a hamlet develops when there are more than one hut and a small temple. Thus from a singular structure of a hut, a small settlement is developed.

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In Kullu valley, Satluj valley and the Ravi valley a typical house consists of stone and timber walls, constructed in what is known as Kath- Kona Style-  an indigenous style of construction, in which the walls are made with alternate courses of dry stone masonry and timber without any cementing mortar.

Style

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In some parts of Himachal Pradesh, there is a popular use of the Dhajji wall construction. In this construction system, the walls are made of timber frames with in-fills of light thin panels made by close packaging of mud mortar, stone and ballast. Style Walling

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hill house usually consists of two rooms. One on top of another and is built with mud, stone and timber. Usually the ground floor is used for keeping cattle and storing grain and fodder. The upper floor is the main living area.

In the vernacular architecture of the Himalayan region wood is extensively used, as the forests of the deodar wood and other mixed forests were easily available. Deodar wood has been used traditionally to impart stability to tall structures. The space in between is filled with stones. Mud is plastered on the inner and outer sides of the walls to provide insulation from the harsh weather.  Although the old Kath Koni system of construction was quite safe during earthquakes because of timber bands provided at short gaps, but due to shortage and high cost of timber the quantity of timber has reduced considerably making the rural houses more prone to earthquake damages. Hostile weather conditions and limited supply of building materials has resulted in the greater use of mud, stone and wood in varying degrees. Traditional houses are also constructed using earth filled into the wooden forms and rammed into the place slowly building the wall or by using sun dried mud blocks in wall construction. These days building materials like cement, steel, bricks, sand and stone aggregate are transported from long distances at very high cost. Other materials available locally are: S.No. 1 2 3 4 5

Mineral Resou rces Limestone Slates Gypsum Clay Silica Sand

Areas Kangra, Bilaspur, Mandi, Shimla, Simaur Chamba Kinnaur Kangra Una

 At present there are two housing schemes running in the state namely: Indra  Awas Yojna  and  Atal Awas Yojna, supporting the construction of housing for BPL and rural poor. There is a scope of considerable improvement in the planning, design, and construction of new buildings in the mountains in order to make them disaster resistant, conserve fuel and to provide better thermal comfort within affordable cost. New improved materials, designs, and construction techniques can help in realizing some of these goals. The provisions of low cost sanitation, energy efficient chullah, safe hygienic drinking water, earthquake resistant features, rain water harvesting etc. are still missing in a large number of rural areas. It is, thus, a region that needs S&T intervention urgently. People of the region desperately need a solution to their housing problem.

Partner Agency Himachal Pradesh Council of Science, Technology and Environment (HPCST&E) Shimla is a potential state level agency having the charter of extension and training for empowerment & upliftment of rural population. The Council undertakes programmes in the areas of; -

Popularization of science, Appropriate Technology, S&T entrepreneurship development, Remote sensing applications, Students’ projects S&T library and Documentation

HP CST&E is also working in many areas that are common to those of RSWNET activities like ·

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Implementation of Solar Passive Housin g Technology f or HP Low Cost Green House Technolog y Propagation  Appropri ate Techno lo gi es Research, Development & Promotion Centre Training of Ar tisans fo r Income Generation Build ing Centres

Interestingly, it was learnt during interactions that HPCST&E has a similar type of programme sponsored by the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India, New Delhi. The two agencies namely CBRI Roorkee and HPCST&E, Shimla accordingly planned to arrange jointly 3 training cum demonstration programmes

on Earthquake Resistant Rural Housing in 3 divisions, namely Mandi, Shimla and Kangra division, of the HP state particularly for the benefit of the field engineers, construction artisans and NGOs of all blocks of the state. HPCST&E shimla has a plan to associate some of these trained personnel as trainer in future for arranging dissemination and extension activities on appropriate rural housing technologies for the benefit of the common masses in the state. The advice, guidance and support received from the senior officials of both the organizations particularly from Mrs. Sarojini Ganju Thakur, Additional chief secretary, Science & technology Govt of Himachal Pradesh, Dr. Nagin Nanda, Member secretary HPCST&E, Shimla and Prof. S. K. Bhattacharya Director, CBRI, Roorkee have considerably helped in planning and in making preparatory arrangements for the training programme. The two organizations, CBRI Roorkee and HPCST&E Shimla accordingly shouldered the responsibilities jointly and worked together for successful organization of the first training programme at Sundernagar, Mandi. The HPCST&E mobilized the trainee participants from 26 blocks of the 5 districts of the Mandi division and looked after for all local arrangements of venue, stay of the faculty and trainees including travel and meals of the trainee participants. CBRI on its part provided full technical support, faculty, Readers and course materials and planning & arranging of technical sessions, demonstrations, hands on practice sessions, film show etc. The principal of Sundarnagar Government Polytechnic and the Appropriate Technology Center (ATC) Sundernagar actively participated and provided full infrastructural support like their auditorium, demonstration site and AV facilities for organizing the programme Problems of Housing in Hills The study of Rural Housing in the hills of HP identified some of the following problems which predominantly affect quality of housing constructions and living as Ø Difficulty of getting suitable orientation on the hill slopes. Ø Problems of soil erosion and land slides. Ø Dense forest area and Restrictions by the forest department Ø Limitations on the height of the building due to earthquake risk. Ø High cost involved in the site development due to the cutting and the filling of hill slopes to obtain a flat terrace for construction. Ø Non-availability of motorable roads to construction site making transport of material to site difficult and costly.

Inaugural Programme

The inaugural function was chaired by Shri Vinod Kumar, ADM, Mandi as the Chief Guest, while Dr. A.K.  Ahuja, Joint Director, Technical Education Himachal Pradesh presided over the function. The other dignitaries on the dais included Ar. O.S.Sen, Principal, Govt. Polytechnic, Sudernagar, Dr. S.S. Randhawa, Scientific Officer, HPCSTE, Shimla and Shri. S.G. Dave, scientist, CBRI Roorkee.

Shri Vinod Kumar, Additional District Magistrate, Mandi while inaugurating the training lauded that such grass root level trainings may help in adoption of suitable Earthquake Resistant Technologies and serve the larger interest of the Himalayan State, which falls in Zone IV & V by the norms of the earthquake definitions. The chief guest appreciated the joint effort of HPCST&E and CBRI, Roorkee for taking up an interesting societal programme. He advised the trainee participants to learn appropriate techniques with full dedication and a commitment in order to take and transfer them further for field implementations in all future construction activities. The Chief Guest also suggested for inclusion of a discussion on suitable retrofitting techniques in the training curriculum so as to help and get them implemented in the improvement of the existing houses and making them earthquake resistant.

Earlier Dr. Randhawa in his welcome address briefed on the purpose and objectives of the training and informed the participants that HPCSTE jointly with CBRI has plan to organize three such training programmes in three commissionaires of the state namely Mandi, Shimla and Kangra/Dharmshala covering the blocks engineers and mason artisan trainees from 50 blocks of the State. In first such training at Sundernagar, 52 block Engineers and 32 Mason artisans represented 25 blocks of the Mandi Commissionery as participants. Dr. Randhawa introduced the subject by briefing on Overview of Disasters in Himachal Pradesh.

Shri S.G. Dave, Senior Scientist, CBRI, Roorkee highlighted the programme details and training schedule of 2 days which provided equal stress on theoretical training to engineers and onsite demonstration/training to masons. He briefed on CSIR-800 RSWNET programme of the XI th  Five Year Plan and informed about CBRI contribution for Dissemination, training and demonstration of Rural Housing Technologies under the CSIR-800 programme. He then introduced the resource group of 5 member team of CBRI Scientists and briefed on the contents of two technical readers one in Hindi especially distributed among mason artisans in simple language with illustrative sketches and another in English containing brief on some 20 selected technologies for distribution among the engineer-trainees.

Faculty The following 5 CBRI scientists of the programme: Shri SG Dave, Scientist-G, Shri S K Negi, scientist, Dr. SK Singh, Scientist Shri H K Jain, Tech. Officer Shri Rajiv, Tech Officer,

participated as resource faculty for prganization Civil Engg Architect Struct. engg Civil Engg Civil Engg

The main officials from HP CST&E, Shimla associated with the organization of the Programme included; Dr. S S Randhawa, Scientific Officer, HP CST&E, Shimla Shri Kalit Bhardwaj, Appropriate Technology Center, Sundernagar

Participants The trainees of the programme were junior engineers and masons derived mainly from various Block Development Offices of the 5 districts of Mandi Division. Some NGOs and individuals engaged in rural development, civil construction and housing activities also participated in the programme. The programme was attended by about 100 trainees (List enclosed at  Ann exure I) consisting of social workers, NGOs, engineers from government departments, volunteers, and masons from various nearby villages.

Interestingly the attendance kept on increasing every subsequent day as news of the programme spread by news paper publicity and word of mouth.

Course Contents Based on the geographical study, availability of resource materials and skills, living pattern of the villagers and also looking into the strengths, weaknesses and future possibilities, the course contents of the programme were designed to meet various housing needs of the region. The training course mainly covered; § Planning of Rural Housing § Earthquake, wind and fire resistant Housing. § Earthquake features & Tips for housing in Zone ‘V’ region. § Fire and Rain Resistant Mud & Thatch Construction, § Plinth protection of existing mud+stone walls § Selection, treatment and structural use of bamboo § Rural sanitation – 2 pit sanitary latrine and waste water disposal system § Quality Control in Rural Housing

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Improved Building Materials and Construction Technologies for Rural Housing Precast RC Plank and Brick Panel roofing Systems, C-Bricks and Concrete Blocks, C-Bricks, sand+cement bricks Ferrocement Products and Applications Rural Housing for Improved Quality of Life: Cooling, Ventilation, day lighting, smokeless chullah, chimney etc Rain water harvesting, Terrafill water filter etc

 A copy of the Programme schedule is enclosed at  Annexur e-II. The programme was adequately supplemented with field demonstrations, models, Power Point presentations and a technical exhibition that was also put up at the venue. Himachal Pradesh being prone to earthquakes, landslides, heavy rains, winds and fire hazards, all the faculty members stressed on the design and construction of hazard resistant houses using locally available materials and skills. Demonstrations Hands –on – training and demonstrations were arranged on the following for the engineers and masons, live or by using models and AV display; method of providing § Correct §  Precast RC plank and Brick panel vertical steel bars in brick masonry, systems of roofing laying earthquake bands in § Concrete & stone masonry blocks buildings and mud houses, bonds § Two pit rural latrine § Rural waste water disposal system at corners and junctions of walls § Rat-trap bond brick masonry § Methods of protecting mud walls against floods and rains § Fire and rain resistant thatch roof § Production of cement sand bricks § Bamboo reinforced Ferrocement wall cladding § C-brick machine and process

Film screening

 A film on Stone and Concrete masonry Blocks and another on Earthquake resistant construction of rural houses were also screened on the second day of the programme. The film together with live demonstrations of several technologies and a hands-on-practice opportunity to the mason trainees has significantly helped in understanding of the details of technicalities, working methodologies which are important for the field implementation.

Course Materials Technical Books, containing details of technologies and materials covered in the programme, in English for engineers and in Hindi for masons was specially prepared for the Meghalaya region. Bound volume of the book was distributed among all participants along with a simple training kit. The book provides adequate details of all topics that were covered in the training programme and additional technical details on topics that could be of interest to engineers and masons engaged in rural housing in Mandi region of Himachal Pradesh. Topics covered in the book are;

Topics co vered in the English Reader prepared for Ju nior Engineers Central Building Research Institute (CSIR), Roorkee Institute Publications Cost Effective Innovative Materials and Technologies Building Foundations Precast Stone Masonry Block Walling Scheme Solid Stone Concrete Block Masonry Scheme Concrete Block Making Scheme Rat Trap Bond C Brick Machine Precast R.C. Plank Flooring/ Roofing Scheme Prefab Brick Panel System for Roofing/ Flooring   Ferro-cement Improved Method of Making Durable and Fire Retardant Thatch Roof Non-Erodable Mud Plaster on Mud walls for Rural Houses Waste Water Disposal System for Rural  Areas Low Cost Sanitation for Rural & Urban  Areas Termite Control in Buildings Precaution During Termite Control Measures in Buildings Chimney Design for Domestic Kitchens Earthquake Resistant Design & Construction of Buildings Earthquake Tips for Zone V Areas Construction Quality Rainwater Harvesting System

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Interested participants presentations.

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provided

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soft

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Power

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. Interactive and Concludi ng Programme

The interactive session and concluding programme was Chaired by Shri B.K.  Avasthi, SE (Design), PWD, Mandi, Himachal Pradesh.

Shri B.K. Avasthi, Chief Guest with Shri SG Dave CBRI and Dr SS Randhawa, CST&E HP during the Concluding Function

On the concluding day a problem solving session evoked a very good response from the participants wherein housing construction problems, appropriate economical rural Housing technologies, disaster resistant housing, use of local stone and sand in the construction were some of the main issues discussed. The trainees freely participated in the interactive session and expressed their views which mainly pertained to the usefulness for the field engineers and construction workers. Field Engineers mainly desired to have such brief trainings

which not only

help in reorienting the theoretical aspects but also help in improving the quality of the construction standards, resolving some of the site difficulties and in field implementation of latest R&D and knowledge. Some engineers expressed their doubt for adoption of newer technologies in Government Construction works unless these are incorporated in state PWD specifications and schedule of rates. Trainees expressed their satisfaction about the contents of the training technical readers and the method of imparting training which stressed more on clarity, field

Shri B.K. Avasthi, SE (Design), Chief Guest visiting demonstration of Rural Housing Techniques

demonstration and hands-on practice sessions for mason artisans. They concurred that joint session with field construction engineers and masons helps in better mutual understanding and improving good quality practices/norms in construction. Some entrepreneurs in the area are manufacturing hollow and solid concrete blocks. Since the cost of such blocks is high and quality is poor, technical guidance and planned effort is needed to train such entrepreneurs. HPCST&E with technical assistance from CBRI may introduce good production practices in the region and initiate few programme to ensure practical implementation of these technologies. Few NGOs have come forward to arrange

more such programmes at the grass root level in villages and desired to have support from HP CST&E and CBRI, Roorkee.

Media Publicit y

The training attracted wide attention of all local media people, who highlighted the programme. A large number of newspapers published reports on the programme prominently for all the 3 days continuously. Learning from newspapers, new participants joined the training programme in the successive day. Few newspaper clippings are seen at  Annexur e-III

Annexure - II

TRAINING & DEMONSTRATION PROGRAMME Earthquake Resistant Rural Housing for the Hill s of Himachal Pradesh Government Polytechnic, Sundernagar, HP May 14-15, 2010

Programme May 14, 2010 10:00 – 11:00 11:00 – 11:30

11:30 – 11:45 11:45 – 12:30

12:30 – 13:30 13:30 – 14:30 14:30 – 15:30

15:30 – 17:30

May 15, 2010 09:30 – 10:00 10:00 – 11:30

Registration Inaugural Function Overview of Disasters in Himachal Pradesh.

SS Randhawa

Tea Appropriate Rural Housing Technologies and Materials for the Hills of HP  – General Exposure and Philosophy

SG Dave

Earthquake resistant rural housing techniques - General tips Lunch Design and construction of a Hill House  – Durability and Safety - Cost and Functional Efficiency Demonstration of Appropriate Housing Techniques

S G Dave

HK Jain SG Dave

HK Jain, Rajeev

Technical Film Show

11:30 – 12:00

Earthquake, Wind and Snow resistant Design of Houses Planning and Design of Hill House

SK Singh S K Negi

12:00 – 13:00

Quality Control in Hill constructions

S K Singh

Lunch Demonstration of EQ safety in houses

HK Jain,

13:00 - 14:00 14:00 - 16:00 Rajeev

16:00 – 16:30 16:30 – 17:30

Technical Film Show Interactive and Concluding function