NCTACE-2016 at LPU: Use quality material in construction of bridges and buildings

Jalandhar, April 6, 2016: Scientific design of buildings and construction using quality material are capable of preventing structure failure during natural or man-made disasters. Dr Raju Sarkar, Associate Professor, Delhi Technical University (DTU), highlighted the importance of tie-beams, shear walls, and other safety measures at the time of construction. He said that adding these features ensures safety of the structure and its occupants. Today, access to steel and cement concrete, if not to ultramodern aerated concrete blocks, helps in creating better resistance to earthquake. He said that high rise buildings should not have soft storeys as these could lead to failure of the tall structure during an earthquake. Under these growing innovative concepts, concrete blocks, cement, wooden frames, and tiles that are locally made are most useful and thereby encouraging many small scale enterprises in the process. Local artisans, masons are required to be trained in the use of new low cost building materials and techniques. He expressed that steel plate shear walls system, RCC structures, vertically oriented wide beams are made of concrete and steel and carry seismic loads down to the bottom of foundation and its thickness generally varying from 150mm to 400 mm in high rise buildings.

In an another case study done by LPU Professors Kirti Goyal and Ambika Thakur, it was mentioned that Jalandhar is facing a major problem of waste disposal. Solid waste management is a major enviromental issue as people throw garbage on public areas directly out of their homes, restaurants, shops and from commercial buildings. Majorly the garbage includes vegetable and food waste, and polythene bags. According to census 2011-12, the population of Jalandhar City is 22 lakhs approximately. A total of 300-400 tonnes of garbage, collected from the city, is dumped on open land in the Wariana dump on the periphery of the city, generating leachate and toxic gases near the disposal site, which is harmful for the citizens living around it. But the major issue is that there is no segregation of biodegradable or non-biodegradable waste.

Mr Ajay Kumar Singhal, DGM from Simplex Infrastructure Limited expressed that there is need of reducing the gap between practical concepts of academia and industrial training. Students should be taken to construction site and given live training there. They should be given a clear idea about the Requirement, Planning, and Execution of the project before the project is initiated.

Mr KK Singla, Prof NIT from Kurukshetra, talked about impact of climate change on water resources. He said basic reason of environment degradation is burning of fossil fuels, plunder of earth, increase in floods, rising sea level, ecosystem shift, increase in refugees, hydrological cycle disturbance effecting global climate. Climate change is causing huge shortage of water. Rajasthan recently received heavy rainfall whereas Maharashtra is facing huge draught. There is a huge change in the balance between the snow and the rain which has resulted in 10 to 20 m rise of sea level in Bangladesh. Demand of water for agriculture and domestic purposes is increasing. So, we, all the citizens, have to come forward and start using climate smart water management tools and water system reoperation and also protect aquatic ecosystems.

LPU Chancellor Mr Ashok Mittal said that such types of conferences are really helpful to bring out positive results which are really helpful for the society. He mentioned that in this conference researchers from IIT Roorkee, Aligarh Muslim University, NIT Kurukshetra, Rourkela, Jalandhar, Allahabad, Delhi Technological University, IISc Bangalore, and BITS Pilani participated.