Security Concern
Safety
Ensured
As opposed to the scenario seen in more developed countries, is India
lagging behind with implementing strict norms for the structural and
fire safety for high-rise buildings? Take a closer look at this
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Security Concern
W
By Anuj Puri
ith several property develop-
ers in our metros developing
skyscrapers of 150-250 me-
tres and more, an increasingly
pressing question being asked by property
buyers is whether they safe. This is an obvi-
ous and natural concern, given the increasing
incidence of fires, earthquakes and building
collapses that the media throws at us fairly
regularly. Let us take a closer look at this.
As opposed to the scenario seen in more
developed countries, is India lagging behind
with implementing strict norms for the
structural and fire safety for high-rise build-
ings? Actually, as we have seen in a recent
case of a residential tower in London, this
can present a challenge even in such global
cities. However, considering the rapid pace
of urbanization being seen in cities like Del-
hi-NCR and Mumbai, there is no doubt that
strict and enforceable safety norms for sky-
scrapers are vital.
Earthquake Resistance
While fire safety is one aspect, earthquake
resistance of high-rises is a relatively lesser
cause of concern. In India, most high-rise
buildings are developed as per the local
building bye-laws and NBC standards for
structural safety, which are considered safe
to withstand certain intensities of earth-
quakes. Of course, since most parts of India
are located in seismic zones, it is very im-
portant for builders and structure safety au-
thorities to ensure that construction is being
done as per the prescribed standards.
It can be said with a fair degree of cer-
tainty that developers have become quite
cautious these days, and that most of them
chromohomes w november 2018
do conscientiously follow the guidelines for
construction of earthquake resistant build-
ings. For the record, every high-rise building
built in India today must mandatorily adhere
to prescribed structural standards to ensure
that they are safe and earthquake resistant.
Developers must and do conform to all earth-
quake-related measures.
Fire Hazard Safety
In a country like India, lack of skilled labour
and technicians, poor building designs, low-
quality building materials - and, importantly,
lack of reliable safety and fire-fighting sys-
tems - were justifiable causes for concern in
the past. Let us take fire-fighting in a high-
rise as a possible scenario.
In a city suffering from chronic infrastruc-
ture deadlock, extinguishing a fire even on
the 7th or 8th floor becomes difficult - leave
alone a fire on the 25th or 30th floor. So, with
what assurance can one buy a flat in a sky-
scraper in a city like Mumbai or Delhi?
Obviously, it is not be possible for a lay indi-
vidual buyer to do a complete safety audit of
such a building. However, it is certainly possible
to inquire about and study the basic fire safety
and emergency evacuation facilities available
in the project before choosing to live there.
november 2018 w chromohomes
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