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RD Department devising low cost quake resistant rural public infrastructure
TIWN
RD Department devising low cost quake resistant rural public infrastructure
PHOTO : National Disaster Rescue Force (NDRF) personnel rescues victim from a building during a mock drill on earthquake at Agartala. File Photo

AGARTALA, October 2 (TIWN): The Department of Rural Development (RD) is devising lost cost construction technology practices for augmenting disaster resistant village level infrastructure. The structures would be taken up at experimental level at the first phase but are intended to be deployed for public building in later phases, official sources said.A source in the state government today said that the RD Department is conducting a joint study with the state disaster management authority to figure out ways of constructing village level buildings with locally produced perishable products like wood, bamboo which would make the constructions less dangerous for natural disaster possibilities like earthquakes.

“We are trying to see if alternative construction materials like bricks, cements and steel can be replaced with bamboo, wood and such products for building schools, public buildings, Public Health Centres (PHC) etc. Of course this is going to be cost escalating but then the long term effects will be much better”, the source said.

“If we look into the hazard profile of the state, we will find that the State is situated in the most severe seismic zone in the country, namely, Zone V of Seismic Zoning Map of India”, he added.

A large number of moderate to large magnitude earthquakes have occurred within the State boundary as well as within 100 km distance around it. An Earthquake of measuring 6.3 Richter scale occurred within North Tripura district in 1950 causing damage to the buildings and other infrastructures and another of measuring 7.5 occurred in 1869 with its epicenter within 18 km of the district town of Dharmanagar , causing destruction in permanent infrastructures and lives.

In June, 1897, an earthquake took place in Tripura and adjacent areas which measured 8.7 on Richter Scale. Tremors felt in southern Tripura in 2013 were known to have originated in Mizoram.

Rural houses types of the state are known to be about 42.65% Kutcha (clay mud walls), 0.05% stone walls laid in mud and 0.39% Pucca brick walls. The concrete and stone wall houses are particularly vulnerable to receive severe damage including collapse in moderate intensity of earthquakes which are common in the area.

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