Risk Assessment and Challenges faced in Repairs and Rehabilitation of Dilapidated buildings

Abstract

The use of concrete as parent material is now an old technique, but it is widely used today due to its unique characteristics. India has witnessed development in the construction field from Harappa civilization to the British era for many years. Even after independence, in 1947, India has advanced in construction techniques in concerning time. However, improper management, design, and ignorance of repairs and rehabilitation of structure cause the collapse of buildings which causes many deaths to occur every year in Mumbai and throughout the country. But the people living in dilapidated buildings risk their lives. Many people are constrained to live in them due to various reasons like skyrocketing rise in real estate prices, fear of losing their houses after vacating for redevelopment projects. Repair and rehabilitation are significant for preserving the structure’s capacity and increasing its performance capacity, which deteriorates due to aging factors, environmental factors. The recent collapse of the building named Tarique Garden in Mahad caused the deaths of 20 people. Considering this as a manufactured disaster, it made a national highlight seeking the attention of mainstream media. A sample space of buildings from buildings in khed city, about 200 km from Mumbai, is taken as a research area as this is a developing city near Mahad city where the incident occurred. This paper aims to determine the various risks involved in dilapidated buildings by studying various health and safety factors that affect the age of the building. This research also focuses on scrutinizing various problems faced by the residing people in dilapidated buildings. The methodology adopted in this research is by doing unstructured interviews with a questionnaire survey of tenants, performing field surveys of various structures in the study area, and segregating the buildings based on the building’s various safety and hygienic conditions. The result shows the DI (Dilapidation index) score, which is done based on the comfort level of tenants. Finally, this research signifies accomplishing various action plans taken by government authorities towards dilapidated buildings and proposing some suggestive measures that would help minimize such accidents.

Keywords

• dilapidation
• repairs
• redevelopment
• collapse
• risks
• rehabilitation
• hygienic factors
• safety factors