Mumbai city has been known to receive heavy rainfall during the monsoons. Being a coastal city, Mumbai needs to understand the requirement for costal construction and heavy rainfall. More than 80% of the pre-1990s construction is in distress because of poor quality material and harshness of environment. Despite all this, Mumbai was one of the last cities to take up blended cement that helps fight problems related to waterproofing. To increase the life of these structures, there is a need to address waterproofing seriously.
This was discussed by Dr. Fixit Institute of Structural Protection and Rehabilitation (DFI-SPR) session in Mumbai on the latest advances in waterproofing materials and technologies to help the Indian architects & engineers adapt the changing dynamics of the construction industry. The lecture took place at Hotel Ambassador in Mumbai.
Besides this, Mumbai is talking about world class structures, be it sea link or the metro. There is a huge shift towards high rise buildings now, making it all the more important to create awareness of waterproofing & its implications is a must consideration for both the common people as well as the engineers concerned to build up durable structures.
The money spent last year is around Rs 4000cr on cement and concrete on repair and maintenance for waterproofing and leakages which could alternatively be used in creating infrastructure across the state of Maharashtra. While 70% of this is centered on major cities like Mumbai and Nagpur, 30% is spread across the state. The sanctioned budget for such jobs by the Government will be fruitless if the modern scientific methods and the techniques are not used to safe guard the durability of these projects. Hence an interdisciplinary approach between structural engineer and waterproofing consultants is required.
The advancements in waterproofing materials and technologies have revolutionized the modern construction industry, not only with their ease of applications but also longer durability and less maintenance aspects. At the same time, damages to the concrete structures also result in high cost of repair and maintenance and sometimes much more than the cost of the building or structure itself.
Dr. Kribanandan Gurusamy Naidu, Managing Director JTK Consult Sdn. Bhd., Malaysia, a renowned Construction & maintenance management expert, interacted with the leading architects and engineers of Mumbai. The session elaborated on the latest development and methods practiced across the globe to counter the threat created by the climatic conditions to constructed structures. He also spoke about preventive measures that should be undertaken to prevent regular repair and maintenance work on structures and emphasized on the importance of waterproofing & its implications to enhance the stability and durability of constructed structures.
Dr. A. K. Chatterjee, Director of DFI-SPR, well know structural expert highlighted the architectural heritage of Mumbai and the threat to theses structures due to extreme climatic conditions. The session also discussed on the latest advances in material & technology that can substitute the massive financial outlays required to maintain them.
