SEEDS, a Non-Government Organisation is presently involved in building resilience for communities against floods while rehabilitating them in 'Flood Resilient Shelters' in one of the most recurrent flood plain in Orissa, India.
The project team comprising of SEEDS along with its partner organisation Christian-Aid and funding from DG-ECHO through its Humanitarian Aid Department has drawn a shelter strategy that demonstrates requisite process of change in construction techniques required for flood resilience. Under "Orissa Flood Resilient Shelter Project' in balasore in Orissa due diligence was taken during project implementation to take benefits to larger community and make sure that benefits are not restricted only to 400 direct beneficiary families.
The project team designed a 'Shelter Unit' that could be knockdown in components and manufactured offsite. This process of manufacture of components offsite not only helps in faster construction but also helps in spreading the 'Process of Change' required for safe construction practices with larger communities in the recurrent flood terrain.
The black cotton soil of balasore supports only pile for foundation of any construction. The project worked out a process for precasting piles and pillar posts for shelters.
Then followed it up with training local vendors for its production after identifying their capacity to manufacture precast concrete components and supply at large scale.
Though Balasore is rich in red brick and has numerous large and small brick kilns. The project identified industrial waste in form of fly ash for its building blocks. The local flyash incidentally is proving to be very good clay and gains strength in block after sustained submergence in water
The project has also demonstrated that construction of the house on a raised platform is very important in recurrent flood prone area. This raised platform shall be reinforced against water damage with protection or a retaining wall. The fact that everyone living in the area is vulnerable to flood damage and restricting benefits of such a project to direct beneficiaries would not have done justice to the rest of the victims. Thus the project team worked out a three pronged strategy.
To make sure that beneficiaries are directly involved in construction and understand benefits of each component, after registration they were allocated their knockdown shelter unit along with a trained mason team by the project team beneficiaries their after managed construction of their units with help from supervisors.
Secondly the project team discussed these technology offerings in open forum and workshops in the retrofitted schools where entire village was invited and informed about the disaster resistant shelter technologies. The project team made sure that the yard in any case did not have restricted entry and villagers other than beneficiaries could visit yard on will.
Thirdly the project team is tying up with local entrepreneurs to manufacture these shelter components beyond project duration so that villagers may still get disaster resistant technology even after the project ends. The project team is in discussions with local entrepreneurs to set up a commercial production unit for the blocks, pillars and piles.
By generating awareness, constructing 400 units and establishing vendor base the project has demonstrated 'Process of Change' required for safe construction to make communities resilient to floods.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
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