Comments
Exactly the way a stitch in time saves nine, well-done stitching saves the trouble of having to redo something repeatedly.
With this approach, voluntary organisation SEEDS, supported by Godrej and Give2Asia, took up a housing reconstruction initiative in Assam after the devastating floods of 2017.
In an area where the annual phenomenon of flooding and repeated loss due to that perpetuates poverty, the disaster risk-reduction and recovery organisation adopted an owner-driven approach. This enabled house owners to take the centre stage in design and construction. SEEDS played the role of a socio-technical facilitator, hand-holding families through the construction process.
A team of dedicated architects worked with local families to come up with a hybrid housing design — one that married modern technology with local traditional architecture. Studies were carried out to ascertain the high flood levels expected in the various locations where houses were to be rebuilt.
Appropriately, high plinths of reinforced concrete and firm foundations were put in place that would stay strong even if submerged for a few days. The houses built above them were made by local artisans using local bamboo, selecting strong varieties suitable for construction.
Families pitched in for the construction work — in design as well as actual building of homes. Each house was built collaboratively, in a long-standing ‘hariya’ system. This system is used by the local community, from harvesting to building and maintaining community infrastructure. In addition, with materials all sourced from within a 6-km radius, the homes are truly local, yet safer.
The test came when the area again faced widespread floods during the monsoon of 2018. The houses built under the initiative have stood dry above the flood level, saving the families a repeat of the misery.
These homes have become a source of inspiration for many others in the village and beyond, reinstating faith in traditional and eco-friendly ways of living. The same safety levels can be achieved by sticking to traditional building practices, padded with a bit of new technology. The question is of making traditional houses and lifestyles safer with appropriate technical support, and equally important, making them aspirational.
The writer is co-founder and director of SEEDS
Comments
COMMENT NOW
Comments
Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.
We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of TheHindu Businessline and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.