Field Research

17th- 29th May,2012

Recommendations for Permanent Shelter in Coastal

Districts of Lower Sindh

Engr.Zubair Hashmi’s study as consultant

Handicap Pakistan funded this study

Research Methodology• Physical Investigation & Observation• Interviews a)Internal b) External• Focus Group Discussions a) Beneficiaries b) Self Builders c) Non-Beneficiaries d) Artisans (Carpenters/Masons)• Participatory work on MODEL • Coordination Meetings• Construction Material Source & Availability Survey

Coordination

• Coordination Officer ,UN OCHA• DDMA Representative, Badin • Shelter Cluster District Badin Focal• Operations Officer .Hands Organization• Site Supervisor , HF• Provincial Coordinator, IDC

• Logistic Officer, Tear Fund• Technical Lead, IOM Hyderabad• Chief Engineer , UN Habitat, Thatta• Fore man , KPT• General Secretary , PFF Badin• Rural Infrastructure Engineer, SCDP /

CDA, Badin

Shelter Response

Coverage Concentration in Accessible Area near Urban Settlements Limited Traditional Design optionLimited Transitional / Core Shelter Response to 2011, Flood

UNHabitat Design in Thatta

Hands Shelter design in Thatta

KPT Design in Thatta

SC Focal & UNOCHA resources and field observation concludes

Local Housing Typology & Practices

Local Materials & Behavior Material Source / Availability Behavior Environmental

ImpactStone

Blocks

Kotri, Hyderabad, Jamshoro

Urban areas

Durable

Vulnerable against salinity

Affecting the natural settings , with embodied energy utilized during transpiration

High effect because of Cement / Crush /Sand

Bricks Kilns working near river banks / canal banks to use saline free earth for bricks

Poor Against salinityChallenge to find Salt free bricks

Embodied energy during burning in kiln and transpiration

Babhur Timber

Devi

Locally available in Thatta & Badin abundantly

Stiff wood ,take long time to decayStiff but weak against pest / Termite

production cycle is 10-12 years , self growing because of seeds spread around

Takes long time to get mature

Lai cladding plants Thatta Kacha Area Hard sticks , long time to get decay and bear wind speed

Self growing plant , grooming in 1 year

Popular / Saveri KPK / Sukkur Poor against termite /pest Undefined yet

Sufeda Punjab / Local often Stiff to carry l.oad but poor against pest / termite

Undefined yet

Sand Jham Peer, Gharoo , Kotri Due to course quality does’nt give strong bond

Stone crushing Crushing impacts environment , impact to natural settings

Indigenous Practices

Construction Typology The house which is one room for a family is called as Kotha ,

Landhi, Chapra, Jhopra, Taike de Ja in Sindhi

Classification depending on foundation type  A-Bundha Khor B- Tarh Dasu

“The house is called as Loh Kaath when steel nails are used to connect timber in framing, bracings and roofing rather tie up with rope. As “Loh means Steel and Kaath s for Timber in Sindhi language”

Posts standing on wall plate above masonry “ Tarh Dasu”

Posts provided directly into ground “ Bundha Khor”

Room Sizes Ranges between 16x12-24x12

Structural Overview:Foundation: “Charri” in local language”

Three types of practices observeda) Poles along with cladding provided deep in 2.5ft wide & 2.5-3ft

deep continuous excavation to hold the structure while poles spacing ranges between 6-8ft mostly in northern areas.

b) All the vertical Poles inserted into ground while poles spacing ranges between 1-4ft in the areas of heavy winds and cyclones towards sea.

c) Brick or stone mud mortar or CS mortar masonry with a heavy profile timber wall plate / Plinth beam provided on plinth level 1.5-2ft above ground level to carry the structure load through vertical posts resting on it. Such type of foundation is in old buildings but not observed in recent construction.

Walls: “Bhit in local language”

Walls of two types observed a) Heavy profile cross section posts spacing ranges between 6-8ft

filling with concentrated twigs to plaster and get thickness up to 1.5ft. This practice is observed in Tando Bago.

 b) Relatively small cross section Posts spacing ranges between 1-4ft

filling with twigs in between to plaster and get thickness up to 6inches.

Indigenous Practices

Cladding: “ Banth in local language”There are different locally available twigs

are weaved together to be used as cladding.

a) Lai Twigs:b) Cotton twigs:c) Sunflower twigs:d) Timber irregular cut pieces or saw mill’s

waste: Horizontal Bracings: “ Patti in local

language” Horizontal bracings provided to vertically

align the cladding and tie the posts together internally and externally spacing ranges between 6” inches-1ft

Different types of wood is used in bracinga) Saveri:b) Babhur:c) Jar:d)Devi:

Indigenous Practices

Roofing: “ Chit in local language”• Two way slopes using timber profiles of

different size in Ridge, Purlin and Rafters resting on wall plate with two layers of “Kani or Pun” Thatch with a sandwich plastic sheet layer.

• Tie up thatch with structure using nails or rope “ Wanr”

 Plastering: “ Laipa/ Raga in local

language” • Stabilized Plastering on cladding and

roof layer by layer normally three layers

Challenges

Challenges:

• Termite & Pest Attack deteriorates foundation poles causing major damage in flooding & Cyclones

• Excessive Salinity swallowing underground timber and erode plaster within few months

• Low Bearing capacity of Soil because of salinity / high water table during flooding

• Transportation / accessibility as material carriage costs 10-15 % of total cost

• Land Ownership

a) tanents (Hari) b) Land Lords barren lands resident c) “Pud” Resident d) Mallah on Coastal belts

• Carrying of Salt free Earth from canal beds (Silt) for Plaster by women mostly

• Conflicts

Indigenous Practices

Good Practices:

• Laying of Gross /shrubs over saline earth to resist Salinity to come up on floors

• Elevated stabilized Plinth Protection & Drain away

• Mud stabilization with Animal Dung and Husk

• Lime ,Jute Slush and sand mix final plaster

• Foundation Masonry with a heavy timber beam on top

• Tying up of roof Thatch with ropes or extra purlin on top

• Concentrated Bracing• Raised Platform• Not to plaster 1’ at bottom to avoid

plaster erosion• V Connections for corners and Flag Post• Polythene sheet wrapping to post stem• Proper Ventilation & Light

Indigenous Practices

Bad Practices:

• Connections / Overlapping & Joints

• Wall s Alignment / Plumb

• No brackets / Struts

• Load Transformation / Distribution

• Timber Quality Compromise

• No proper Compaction around vertical posts

• Large Room Sizes with week overlaps &

Connections

• Heavy Roofing

Indigenous Practices

Recommendations

• Community involvement from design to process with a strong Training component (On Job – Hands on)

• Demo Houses for internal staff / Artisans Orientations/ Capacity building before launching and segmental / Refresher orientations

• Maximum utilization of Community capacity & Involvement to create ownership feel for sustainability e.g Cladding , Plastering & Carriage

• Close Monitoring of process and construction through monitoring staffing other than supervisory and social staff.

• Local Purchase through purchasing from multiple hubs

Recommended Operational Strategy

Purchase Point

Purchase Point

Purchase Point

Purchase Point

Village 5

Village 6

Mid way Storage

Village 1

Village 2

Village 3

Village 4

Issuing Material to Community

Accountability through Monitoring Staff

“Tarh Dasu” is durable and resilient to Salinity, Cyclones and Flooding due to following characteristics

• Masonry Foundation• Timber detached from earth to get decayed • Plinth beam provides BOX behavior

Key Consideration:• Strong Base • Anchorage / Connections & Joints • Load transformation / Distribution • Water Proofing

Materials

• Babhur a stiff and durable locally available timber for structure framing and bracing as it takes more time to decay

• Lai Cladding • Stones best material to use in foundation masonry as its more resistant

against salinity • Lime sand mortar for masonry because of economy and low embodied

energy• Jute Slush to stabilize lime Mortar for Plastering final layer on roof top and

walls • I-Profile Girder as Ridge Beam

Design Recommendations

Foundation Plan Option: 1

Foundation Plan

Foundation Plan Option: 2

Foundation Plan

Foundation X-Section Opt:1

X-Section Foundation View

Joints / Anchorage / Connections

Ridge Anchorage

Roof Ties / Joints

Roofing Ties

Water Proofing

Water Proofing

(Traditional Housing – Weaknesses + Improvements ) = A strong , Durable , Safe and habitable local Design

Value of Money:

A strong house of life span 15-20 Years to avoid repeated repair / rebuilding time to time

Traditional House Costs: 900-1000 USD Cost = 1.5 x Traditional House Cost

Cost / Time Vs Quality

Time :5-6 Days with One Carpenter to erect framing and one mason day for masonry

Limitations:

• Main Timber Profile limited length in Babhur

• Stone Min supply of 650 cft / load , which can be a limitation for replication

Challenges