The construction sector itself contributes to economic development, both locally and nationally, through manufacturing and services. Therefore, adequate support is essential for this sector to grow.

To produce millions of housing units in towns and villages, virgin/raw materials that has to be mined, fossil fuels, and water (potable quality) required for construction is just not available. Clearly, there is a need to change our construction technologies and practices. We must change rapidly and at a large scale if the negative environmental and ecological impacts have to be mitigated. Energy efficient and resource-conserving alternatives must be promoted. The need for these today is greater than ever and not only for the ‘poor and rural areas’ but for all regions and economic classes.

Industrial wastes in construction such as fly-ash from thermal power plants, stone dust from crushers, slag and sponge iron wastes from steel factories are all resources that can be used to produce quality building materials. Low energy materials such as Stabilised Compressed Earth Blocks, Micro-Concrete Roofing, bamboo-based roofing applications, light weight concretes, etc., will not only reduce the load on the fossil fuel requirements, but also on carbon dioxide emissions.

Efficient and non-polluting ways of production such as the Vertical Shaft Kiln for bricks, pre-fabricated ferro-cement roofing systems and water-efficient sanitation methods will all contribute to ecological and economic savings. Further efficiencies can be arrived at through efficient construction techniques such as rat trap masonry, filler slabs, etc. These alternatives and many others have been developed and demonstrated in many projects; however, these are still not popular. Their poor acceptance has as much to do with inadequate promotion and fiscal supports as with their not being integrated with contracting procedures and construction practices. This requires clear specifications, guidelines, structural and construction details so that designers are able to specify and contractors are able to build with these materials and technologies. It further requires skilled workmen who can apply these technologies. Finally and most importantly, it requires these technologies to be ‘available’ at a large scale and across the country. The need of the hour is to build up a movement that will propel the building industry towards sustainability.

Over the last two decades, DA has been working in the area of risk reduction in regions vulnerable to natural disaster. While the primary focus of our work has been livelihood creation and natural resource regeneration leading to greater resilience, we have been active in post-disaster response action to promote sustainable habitat development. Our approach in post-disaster response has been that of using the opportunity to introduce ecological planning and construction, clean water and sanitation systems, skills and livelihood options in the (re)construction sector. Learning from the post-disaster situation in Uttarkashi in 1993, DA went on to contribute to plan and design housing and technology options for disaster-resistant habitat after the Latur earthquake of 1994. In 2001, DA partnered with CARE India and 14 local grassroots organisations in Orissa to respond to the super cyclone of 1999. The outcome was the introduction of new building technologies, enterprise creation and skill development that have continued to contribute to habitat development through an innovative institutional mechanism called the Ashraya Building Materials and Services Bank in association with CORE, a local NGO. This institution provides skills and materials and facilities credit to rural families for housing and habitat infrastructure.

This learning was very useful when in Gujarat we extended our partnership and support to EFICOR and CARE after the earthquake of 2001. Nine building material enterprises were involved in making and selling concrete blocks for the reconstruction. Over 800 families in four villages have benefited from alternative construction materials and skill development of local contractors and masons. In addition, DA worked with the Swiss Red Cross and SKAT to develop training and management models for large reconstruction programmes.

After the Indian Ocean Tsunami, the DA-SRC-SKAT partnership has again come together to provide reconstruction support to over 900 families in three villages affected by the Tsunami. DA has set up five local enterprises producing ecological building materials and has trained over 70 masons and nine local contractors, providing a technical resource pool for future construction activities. In the process, DA has partnered with local Panchayats, women’s groups and local civil society bodies to bring in requisite competencies to respond to large-scale emergency reconstruction initiatives.

A hallmark of this and previous DA interventions have been laying a base and systems for future habitat development processes in a sustainable manner. Disaster response has been taken head on as an opportunity to catalyse long-term sustainable habitat development in the affected region, reducing future vulnerability to such calamities. q

Zeenat Niazi
zniazi@devalt.org