INGENIEUR
within 72 hours on January 3 , 2021 . Many houses , bridges , roads and highways in the states of Terengganu , Kelantan and Pahang were submerged . Excessive water currents caused erosion , landslides , physical damage and interrupted road traffic . The floods also softened the soil and threatened structural integrity , especially in low-rise buildings with shallow footing or foundation .
Water seepage in the basement floors and walls has become common because of the rising water table due to heavier rainfall during the monsoons . The height of the water table depends on the rainy season , and hence it causes cyclic wetting and drying in the damp basement areas . Depending on the pH and content of the groundwater , the risk of corrosion at the foundations must be given due attention . To control the height of groundwater , curtain grouting at the positive side of the basement may be necessary , depending on the assessment of the condition .
“ Black water ”, full of organic material and microorganisms is a silent health threat of biological contamination to buildings and residents in the flood plains . Wet household materials in water-damaged homes need to be dried up rapidly to prevent microbial growth , especially in organic and fibrous materials . Nevertheless , this is seldom done due to low awareness of such health hazards . In the US , statistics indicate that up to 17 % of water-damaged homes suffer from biological contamination and is regarded as a public health concern . Such a study has not been done in Malaysia and low awareness of the potential health hazard brought about by floods requires urgent attention from the authorities in public health .
Resilient Community , Infrastructures and Buildings
These natural or man-made disasters are expensive to respond to , but much of the destruction can be prevented with cost-effective mitigation features and advance planning . We need a paradigm shift in building design that can cater to climate change , to restore the functionality of the buildings after such disasters .
Retrofitting in the current drainage design is needed to cater for heavier precipitation .
Flood management , with more reservoirs for the temporary catchment of any sudden surge in rainfall , is needed . Vegetative roofs and rain harvesting systems can also contribute to reducing the rapid runoff of rainwater into the drainage system that may cause flooding . In areas with a high risk of climate change , education in emergency preparedness is also needed , including evacuation from buildings to safer places , storage of drinking water and food in shelters , and medical support during the disasters .
In view of the poorly updated building codes which cannot cope with the impacts of climate change , some architectural communities in developed countries have taken proactive approaches and voluntary actions to address the damages brought about by climate change with the concept of building resilience . In the US in particular , awareness of the importance of preparedness against natural and manmade disasters in community disaster management and resilient building design has received due attention over the past five years ( VanGeem M ., Defining Resilience , The Interface , International Institute of Building Enclosures Consultants , p8 , Sept 2019 ).
According to Alex Wilson , founder of the Building Green and Resilient Design Institute ( USA ), Resilience is “ the capacity to adapt to changing conditions and to maintain or regain functionality and vitality in the face of stress or disturbance . It is the capacity to bounce back after a disturbance or interruption ”. Resilient building design is the intentional design of buildings , landscapes , communities , and regions in response to these vulnerabilities (
https :// www . resilientdesign . org /).
Resilient Building Design for Tropical Malaysia
The resilient level of building design depends on the hazard analysis of the specific locations . New design and retrofitting projects are recommended to be more robust and resilient to stronger wind and other environmental hazards . Lee S . H . in his report “ Failure of Roof Structure Due to Wind Load ” in April 2008 , discovered that in the existing construction practices of roofs of low-rise
44 VOL 91 JULY-SEPTEMBER 2022