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Hazardous constructions in Kandy: Risk zones to be mapped

24 Oct 2020

  • Conformity assessments to be conducted periodically
By Sarah Hannan Central Province Governor Lalith U. Gamage is to look into implementing the recommendations to have safe building structures in the Kandy city limits going forward. The decision was reached after the Governor was presented with the study report prepared by the 25-member independent committee he had appointed to investigate potentially hazardous buildings in the Kandy Municipal limits. [caption id="attachment_102584" align="alignleft" width="300"] CP Governor Lalith U Gamage convened a special meeting on 19 October 2020 to discus the report on hazardous buildings in Kandy[/caption] Speaking to The Sunday Morning on Friday (23), the Governor said: “The objective of the investigation was to identify potential risk zones within the Kandy city limits; identify buildings in selected risk zones based on available information and visual inspection, and assess the potential risk; suggest measures to mitigate potential risks that existing structures could cause; propose recommendations for future development projects; and propose possible amendments to current building regulations.” In the recent report that was submitted to the Central Province Governor, the 25-member independent committee proposed that an institution headed by experts in the sectors of architecture, building regulation, geology/geotechnical engineering, structural engineering, water technology, and water supply and drainage should be established to streamline the process of zoning areas based on the geospatial characteristics in the Kandy city limits (step one); to map out high, medium, and low-risk areas, and once the high-risk regions are identified, to identify the potentially hazardous buildings that are located in such regions (step two); to list the identified potentially hazardous buildings (step three); and to inform the owners of such buildings about the potential danger the building is causing to its surroundings (step four).  A similar approach is to be followed from steps two to four for buildings in mid and low-risk zones as well. Once the findings are shared, the said institution should be able to recommend a suitable contractor to the owner of the building so it could be fixed with adequate safety measures. An agreement should be reached at this stage between the institution and the owner of the building that they would follow through. Should the owner of the building fail to comply with the instructions, the institution should be able to take necessary legal action against the owner in question. Suggestions to improve future structures
  1.   Awareness programmes to be conducted using traditional and digital media channels on the importance of selecting qualified consultants and contractors when building a structure
  2.   An independent assessment report needs to be submitted in the event a four-storey building is to be constructed in the mid or low-risk zones or a six-storey building is to be constructed in a high-risk zone
  3.   A conformity assessment is to be conducted every 10 years
  4.   Structures in high-risk zones should be subjected to inspections every five years to see whether they conform to the building regulations
  5.   Structures such as schools, temples, and hospitals need to be designed with the requirement of being able to house people that are affected by natural or manmade disasters
  6.   A building standards and quality plan needs to be designed for each area as required
  7.   A communication line should be created so the public could alert the authorities about potentially hazardous structures
  8.   Building material that is to be purchased and used for construction should be of a certain standard and must at least be verified by the Sri Lanka Standards Institute (SLSI)
   

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