Colombo identifies 100, unsafe crumbling buildings
Authorities are in the process of identifying buildings in a dilapidated state in the city of Colombo following complaints to examine the stability and safety of buildings received by the Colombo Municipal Council (CMC), National Building Research Organisation (NBRO), Urban Development Authority (UDA), and the police.
CMC Municipal Commissioner Bhadranie Jayawardhana, Chief Medical Officer of Health of the Curative Department Dr. Ruwan Wijemuni, and Director of City Planning Anuja Mendis explained the various levels of hazards and dangers posed by buildings prone to dilapidation.
“We have identified around 100 buildings in Colombo so far,” Mrs. Jayawardhana said, explaining the inability to pinpoint the exact number for many reasons. Sixty buildings were identified in Colombo alone.
Mainly, the level of 'hazardousness' cannot be defined by a visual run-through of the building, as it may vary from the splashes of paint dripping on vehicles parked beneath, or on passersby to the building crumbling. So, the NBRO steps in to provide reports of a building's status after testing— from the soil to the rooftop.
Mrs. Jayawardhana highlighted the importance of following the plan and maintaining quality standards. Safety precautions for earthquakes are rare, as Sri Lanka does not face a potential threat.
Looking into the reasons for the buildings being in such a state, all officials agreed on the following; Investors and owners abandoning the buildings; Low-quality standards such as cement mixing;
Getting approvals and certificates of confirmation and then illegally building extra floors and balconies by closing open spaces and fire exits;
Owners instructing the masons to build according to their requirements, disregarding the instructions of engineers; and
Unauthorised underground buildings.
It is important to note that there are buildings without either the ownership certificate or the conformity certificate.
To prevent collapses such as the tragic incident of the banquet hall in Wellawatte in 2017 that left two dead and 27 injured, with some being trapped under the rubble, the CMC is authorised to file legal action against owners.
“In Colombo, there are about 60 to 70 unauthorised buildings,” said Mr. Mendis, explaining that any building in a decrepit state would be given 14-day legal notice. If the owner fails to comply, the CMC will take legal action at the Magistrate’s Court and demolish the structure, based on a court ruling, he said.
The same legal method is applied when dealing with dilapidated buildings. In accordance with the Municipal Councils Ordinance, the CMC is authorised to notify the owner of a “house, building, boundary wall, or gateway" (clause 66 of the Municipal Councils Ordinance) in a dilapidated state.
"When a building is being constructed, the architect as well as the engineers should visit the site from time to time, but it doesn’t happen because you have to pay a hefty fee," said Dr. Wijemuni.
Dammika Kahahengoda, director of the structural engineering research and project management division of NBRO, told the Sunday Times that the NBRO will issue a booklet of guidelines to create awareness of the signs of building dilapidation and the steps one should follow in such circumstances.
“Most people don’t know what to do. There are some where there are substantial cracks in the building, but it is usable, and there is no threat. It was just a problem with the workmanship. Most buildings prone to dilapidation are schools,’’ she said.
Ms. Kahahengoda said nearby constructions play a big role in the potential collapse of the structures. “Colombo has limited space, and the biggest issue is adjacent constructions,” she said.
When two buildings are built close to each other, the existing building could suffer cracks due to vibrations when excavating, and its stamina could reduce due to the loosening of the soil, she said.
Inadequate design and the lack of guidance by engineers are another significant fault resulting in such instances.“Usually there are two main drawings when constructing a building. The first is an architectural drawing by an architect. The structural drawing is done by the engineer to test its practicality,” she said. “When a building is built, the NBRO does three surveys; pre-crack survey, an intermediate-crack survey, and a post-crack survey.’’
The key role of the NBRO is to provide reports, as it cannot take legal action against offenders.
As the NBRO charges a fee for the checks, owners often tend to neglect the process of determining the building's stability. "More than demolishing a building, we advise them to find ways to retrofit the building to reuse it, so we do a cost benefit analysis because sometimes it can be more cost effective to demolish it.Sometimes we recommend reducing the number of stories and using them,” Ms. Kahahengoda said.
Last year, 138 reports were issued islandwide for building investigations, 12 for crack surveying, and 28 for condition reports. This year 45 reports were issued for building investigations, two reports for crack surveying, and 12 condition reports as of April.