Bamboo: A Sustainable and Low-Cost Housing Material for India
Introduction:
According to a certain survey the current housing shortage in India is about 5.9 crores and there is a stipulated requirement of about 5 crore houses by 2022. Hence the total need is about 10.9 crores. Also there is a constant increase in the inflation rates as well as people living below poverty line. This calls for the need of a low cost building material which allows for a speedy construction. The cost of constructing with cement and steel is already very high and it further inflates periodically. Also, cement and steel release a tremendous amount of CO2 during their production. About 11% of the total CO2 emissions are due to the steel industry while the cement industry contributes about 9% to it. Thus steel and cement are costly as well as environmentally dangerous. On the other hand bamboo utilizes CO2 during its production and releases O2. Hence, bamboo can emerge as a naturally sustainable and a low cost construction material.
AVAILABILITY:
India has the second largest bamboo reserve in the world. According to the state of forest report (FSI 2011) the total area under bamboo is 13.96 million hectares which is higher than the estimated value of 8.96 million hectares. This goes on to show that the bamboo productivity in India has been increasing very significantly. In India, the maximum bamboo production is found to be in the east with more than 50% of the total production.
SUSTAINABILITY AS A BUILDING MATERIAL:
Bamboo belongs to the grass family, Poaceae and it possesses the characteristics of wood. Hence once you cut bamboo it doesn’t die but grows back on the same stem like grass. It grows about 30-100 cm a day with the world record being 91 cm in a day. It attains maximum size in 60-90 days after it starts sprouting and can be commercially used after 3 to 6 years. Moreover bamboo can also grow on less fertile soils. Hence it is very unlikely that bamboo will become scarce in a very short time. In a particular area a larger number of bamboo plantations are possible compared to other wooden plantations in the same area. Also bamboo houses stay warm in winters and cool in summers. Only mature bamboo between 3 to 5 years is used for construction purposes.
DIFFICULTIES IN BAMBOO CONSTRUCTION:
Bamboo has immense applications in the construction works and can suitably be used as a low cost sustainable material but it has to overcome certain drawbacks as insect infestation, natural shape, jointing etc.
ADVANTAGES:
Light in weight.
Economical and available in abundance.
Structural properties comparable to steel and concrete.
Rapid growth and higher yield per area of field.
Construction at a faster pace.
Economical.
It can address our climatic concerns by reducing the CO2 content of the air and increasing the O2 content.
DISADVANTAGES:
It has a natural shape.
Must be treated for fire and insects.
Weak joints.
Requires detailed study and research for its use in construction.
Conclusion:
Sustainable products are those which along with its use for a required purpose also tend to cause little or no harm to the environment and they help in normalizing the climatic irregularities that have been caused over the period of years. Bamboo is one such product. It grows on less fertile soils, is a very light material, has higher strength to weight ratio, releases oxygen, grows rapidly, has great structural properties, is available in abundance and is very economical. It can be used to provide shelter to the larger mass of the nation who cannot afford their own house at a very economical rate and can speed up the mass housing projects. Thus, along with research advances and scientific precisions, bamboo can emerge as a material which will solve the housing needs of the country without harming the environment.
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