Building collapse incidents linked to safety codes breach

LAHORE:Violations of building by-laws, safety codes besides uneven consistency of concrete used in construction are main causes of the building collapse incidents in Pakistan resulting in financial as well as human lives loss.

These views were expressed by the participants in a webinar organised by Iqbal Institute of Policy Studies (IIPS) focusing on pragmatically assessing the causes of building collapse incidents in the country and recommending policy solutions to prevent such tendencies in future.

It was pointed out that the country’s fragile built environment had given rise to frequent media reports of collapsed buildings in major cities. Keeping in mind the current state of Pakistan’s construction sector and quality of infrastructure is the need of the hour.

Renowned experts, including NED University of Engineering and Technology Vice-Chancellor Dr Sarosh Hashmat Lodhi, Additional Registrar-CPD (Pakistan Engineering Council), Dr Ashfaq Ahmed Sheikh, Member Planning and Design Capital Development Authority (CDA) Dr Shahid Mehmood, President IIPS Advisory Board Lt-Gen M Haroon Aslam (r), Member IIPS Advisory Board Khurram Farid Bargatt, CEO Architectural and Civil Engineering Services (ACES) Brig Khaliq-ur-Rashid Kiyani, Major Nawaz Minhas and others spoke on the occasion.

They stressed that it was imperative to completely rethink our cities and urban spaces to encourage resilient, environment-friendly, and sustainable development practices.

Opening the webinar as moderator, Lt-Gen Haroon Aslam (r) highlighted that absence of regulatory compliance was one of the major causes of fragile built environment in Pakistan. He said the construction industry was in a developing stage in the country. There is an urgent need of eliminating bottlenecks such as corrupt practices in the industry, improving land regulation and building control, standardising and implementing building laws across the board and impart latest skills to students for the future of the industry. Dr Sarosh Hashmat Lodhi pointed out that the most fundamental cause of building collapse was the non-observance of construction codes and safety codes. Member Planning and Design, CDA, Dr Shahid Mehmood believed that the old buildings that had outlived their useful life were more prone to collapse. Poor maintenance of buildings can reduce the life of structures and need periodical checks and inspection for faults. In the absence of preventive measures, buildings become more susceptible to collapse, he added. Brig Khaliq-ur-Rashid Kiyani suggested that the building authorities must exercise authority over the construction companies. Major Nawaz Minhas pointed out that uneven consistency of concrete used in construction was one of the most important but often neglected causes of building collapse in country.