| Many
people cannot afford concrete and steel
houses and the use of bamboo as a structural
replacement for steel has been highlighted
as having the potential to lower the
price of a new house.
However,
the properties of bamboo vary. It
would be beneficial to identify the
ideal species of bamboo for use as
a building material, how to cultivate
it in Pabal or India in general and
most importantly, a method for assessing
the strength of the bamboo. Also,
an investigation into the lifespan
of the bamboo and any methods of expanding
it if necessary would be of interest;
a lifespan approaching 50 years is
desired. |
|
A
small project at Vigyan Ashram calculated
that the cost of a simple reinforced
concrete home with a corrugated metal
roof for a family was around Rs. 21,000.
If a comparably sized home was constructed
predominately from bamboo it would
only cost Rs. 8,000. The bamboo house
did not have a lifespan comparable
to that of the concrete construction
in this case. If a successful system
promoting bamboo as a viable building
material is developed there would
be less dependence on more expensive
steel but land and resource use would
be required for bamboo cultivation. |
| Weather
information for Pabal, such as temperature,
humidity and rainfall can be found in
the engINdia Final Report. This also
contains information on the geography
of the region and its geology.
The
poorest people in Pabal and its surrounding
area earn approximately Rs. 2000.
per month. The wealth of the citizens
varies greatly as local businessmen
and the educated can be quite affluent;
for example the local homeopathic
doctor earns Rs. 30,000. per month.
End cost and simplicity should be
at the forefront of any solution.
Industrial
chemicals and fertilisers are easily
available from Pune, a city 30km from
Pabal. A chemical treatment used at
Vigyan Ashram to extend the life of
bamboo in the region of 10-15 years
is a mixture of sodium dichromate,
copper sulphate and boric acid in
400kg, 300kg, and 100kg quantities
respectively in 10,000 litres of non-distilled
water. There are health concerns over
the use of sodium dichromate as it
is a carcinogen; inhalation, ingestion
or skin absorption are harmful, and
may be fatal. Interestingly many people
were unaware of this.
Vigyan
Ashram, an NGO operating just outside
Pabal, will act as a test centre for
any worthwhile solutions. It has a
small but proficient workshop geared
towards assembly and is also home
to Fab Lab, a project set up by the
Centre for Bits and Atoms at MIT (U.S.).
Fab Lab provides hi-tech equipment
in developing areas to promote technical
know-how and development. For a list
of the tools available at Vigyan Ashram
please refer to the engINdia Final
Report. |
