Visakhapatnam: Guidelines of Bureau of Indian Standards for building construction needs to be revised on the east coast considering the disastrous wind speed of the recent cyclone, Hudhud, since most of the structures constructed in the past do not posses adequate hazard resistance and are prone to failure if the same situation occurs in future.
Vizag also needs such technical transformation keeping in view the future calamities, experts say. The guideline, IS Part-3, of the BIS, was confined to a maximum velocity of wind at 180 kmph, which needs to be considered for sustainability of a structure while building an apartment or a high-rise construction in the city. But, the unconfirmed data of both the IMD and Navy revealed that the wind speed was between 210-240 kmph.
Though the guideline was revised in 1987, the recent cyclone indicated further revision keeping safety of structures and human beings in view of future constructions. In fact, major chunk of buildings in the city were constructed according to the standards that can sustain up to a maximum speed of 180 kmph.
Consequently, many asbestos-roofed structures, warehouses and other places sustained huge damages due to catastrophic winds at the time of landfall and people residing in high-rise buildings also experienced trembling situation like in an earthquake since the velocity was beyond their bearing capacity.
“Many structures in the city were built according to part-3 of IS guidelines that can sustain up to a maximum wind speed of 180 kmph. This is a new experience for the city and officials and builders should update the design for safety. The guidelines need to be revised accordingly,” said Prof. K. Srinivasa Rao, faculty member of civil engineering department, Andhra University.
East coast is highly vulnerable to natural calamities and on an average, about 5-6 tropical cyclones form in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea every year, out of which 2-3 may be severe.
Cyclogenesis is more prevalent in the Bay due to its favourable conditions than in the Arabian Sea and the ratio is 4:1, according to meteorologists.
