One of the major challenges confronting
Nigeria in its plight to sustainable development is the problem of having
access to building material in large quantities, In good quality, and at
affordable price. The scenario has resulted into two major problems, which is
the growing incidence of building collapse, which many lives and properties
have been wasted coupled with building maintenance problem. This has become
issue of many forums the rapid growing cases of building collapse in the
country in associated with the use of low quantity and inadequate building
material.
Over the years particularly since 1980,s Nigeria has been
witnessing sporadic cases of building collapse the major concern of this public
incident is the center where the need to provide accommodation is becoming
urgent. Incidence of building collapse, not only accompany by waste of
recourses but lost of lives and environmental destruction also, the country
suffer a shortage of affordable hosing for both industrial and domestic uses.
To this end, the rate at which housing
provision is been address is at very low level compared with the increasing
rate of housing demand occasioned by high degree of urbanization the building
infrastructure of nowadays have
not been able to serve their purpose adequately apart from high degree of
building collapse this situation is not peculiar to individual persons building
but include public building of giant size this out cry is because rapid
depreciation and weary of some of buildings the reason for this is because some
of this building structure are of low quantity in terms of construction and
they are poorly maintain it is in this regard, report on the challenges of
Nigeria building code indicate that the incidence of building collapse in the
country has become issue of public attention as far back as 1970, furthering
that the case has become major occurrence in urban center, particularly in
Lagos, Ibadan, port-Harcourt and Kaduna. It indicate that in Lagos metropolis alone, between 1983 and
2007 there are 1001 reported cases of building collapse an d the increasing
rate is 99.01% while the incident is almost every year occurrence. This is
anchored by the destruction of properties lost of lives and environmental
hazards.
Report also indicates that
between 1976 and 2003 which is 27 years, there was 40 reported cases of
building collapse in the country where 376 lives were lost. It was only in one
case of building collapse that there was no lost of live it indicate that the
most affected areas are most urbanized. Another related development, findings
review that the major causes of building collapse are lack of structure design
details, poor workmanship, use of substandard material wrong conversion of
building absence of approved plan lack of qualified and appropriate
professional in construction and supervision, lack of workable legal instrument
and none compliance with approved plan and inadequate maintenance. on the other
hand, building collapse according to the repot usually leads to economic loss
to the owner and the occupant in addition to wasting of time and energy for
instance, report indicates that between 1983 and 2007 about 164 persons loss
their lives in the incidence of building collapse as a result of blocking of
drainage which leads to weakness of building foundation and block of access
roads on the part of regulating material policies, Nigeria since independence
did not have the policy trust to control construction of building from design
to completion state until the enactment of national building code (NBC) in
2006. Although, there have been some laws on physical development since
colonial era, but this law are limited to building plan approval and ensuring
that the size and scale of such a building structure is in accordance with plan
approval. National building code is very comprehensive about building
instructions process than any other law.
Regrettably, since the introduction of the code the number of
assessment have been made on it adequacy to address this major problem
confronting the sustainable building construction in the country are in doubt
it is against this premise some group of expert report that the challenging of
building collapse with the aim of vision 2020 toward infrastructure provision
and sustainable development that is free from unwarranted hazards can never be
over emphasized it indicate that the role of professional should be in the
policy law especially in the building construction and maintenance also, the
professional ethics should be promoted with legal provision which would entrench
discipline among the professional of built environment example he who plays the
piper should dictate the tune.
it explains that
supplementary laws on building maintenance and the provision of the
establishment of material test laboratory that every town planning area be
given a priority in addition to enforcement of material testing result since
the existing national pole policy trust only make provision for application to
rehabilitate and maintain buildings
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