Whenever we start earning, our first instinct is to buy a land or house
for ourselves. Of course some like to simply splurge on- but that is not
what we are discussing here. For the last few years I am seeing the
rush to buy apartments in the Doon Valley. The only criterion that is
followed is to have a good view of Mussourie, all other parameters are
simply ignored or dwarfed. No one is interested in finding out how the
sewage will be taken care of or from where will the water come in next 3 years.
The builders are simply finding small areas anywhere in the nooks and corners, behind and below each and every small hillock. They have even encroached the River bed and built seven floors on stilts.
As you may be well aware that Dehradun lies along the most seismically sensitive area- and as I have learnt from few Geologists, that thee Rispana lies along a fault line, especially near the northern part of the Doon valley .
The kind of earthquake that we witnessed last night on 6th Feb2017 night is exactly what is waiting to happen. There are no calculations for the past earthquakes proffered yet, so obviously all these so called multi-storied apartments are also built without taking any calculations into account.
I am not discouraging the reader from buying a home for himself , it is a must and you must buy it if it is a must.However do not ignore even one aspect of safety- since more than your money- your and your family's life depends on it.
In 1993 , I had myself bought a home (not an apartment) and I could not actually check the architectural strength of it because the owner had disguised it very nicely. Soon after purchase one of the walls started sinking and developed cracks. In those days I employed all the engineering skills I had learnt on board and inserted 7 RCC pillars without breaking the terrace slab.
In the process I learnt much about the topography of Dehradun.
More than my engineering skills , the reader must take my financial advice and build a structurally resilient home for himself- the old fashioned way. Buy the land- then build. None of the apartments are cheaper than a house that you would build for yourself.
Think in terms of using alternative materials, including imported wood, prefab elements.Line up the roof with Solar PV cells, Follow the engineer from Chennai - whom I had featured on my FB page- and build a completely self sustaining home for yourself.
http://asc-india.org/seismi/seis-uttaranchal.htm
The builders are simply finding small areas anywhere in the nooks and corners, behind and below each and every small hillock. They have even encroached the River bed and built seven floors on stilts.
As you may be well aware that Dehradun lies along the most seismically sensitive area- and as I have learnt from few Geologists, that thee Rispana lies along a fault line, especially near the northern part of the Doon valley .
The kind of earthquake that we witnessed last night on 6th Feb2017 night is exactly what is waiting to happen. There are no calculations for the past earthquakes proffered yet, so obviously all these so called multi-storied apartments are also built without taking any calculations into account.
I am not discouraging the reader from buying a home for himself , it is a must and you must buy it if it is a must.However do not ignore even one aspect of safety- since more than your money- your and your family's life depends on it.
In 1993 , I had myself bought a home (not an apartment) and I could not actually check the architectural strength of it because the owner had disguised it very nicely. Soon after purchase one of the walls started sinking and developed cracks. In those days I employed all the engineering skills I had learnt on board and inserted 7 RCC pillars without breaking the terrace slab.
In the process I learnt much about the topography of Dehradun.
More than my engineering skills , the reader must take my financial advice and build a structurally resilient home for himself- the old fashioned way. Buy the land- then build. None of the apartments are cheaper than a house that you would build for yourself.
Think in terms of using alternative materials, including imported wood, prefab elements.Line up the roof with Solar PV cells, Follow the engineer from Chennai - whom I had featured on my FB page- and build a completely self sustaining home for yourself.
http://asc-india.org/seismi/seis-uttaranchal.htm
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