Kerala to rebuild fallen houses with prefab technology

In the wake of the destruction of properties in the back-to-back calamities in Kerala, the state government has decided to promote prefabrication construction technologies to rebuild houses.

Minimising exploitation of natural resources like sand and rock and constructing houses that can withstand natural calamities are the objectives of the initiative.

This apart, a committee of experts has been constituted by the government to suggest the type of settlements suitable for ecologically sensitive areas as well as to identify reasons for the natural calamities. It will be headed by Kerala State Science and Technology Council executive vice president K P Sudheer and will have experts from IIT Chennai and Centre for Earth Science Studies as members. The committee has been asked to give a report in three months.

As many as 1795 houses across Kerala were fully damaged and 14,559 partially damaged during this year's natural calamities.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said that a major challenge before the government in rebuilding the damaged houses was the scarcity of raw materials. The government wanted to minimise the exploitation of natural resources, and this is where prefabricated construction technology, requiring minimum natural resources and could withstand natural calamities, would help. It would also ensure the swift construction of houses.

Prefabricated construction technology is popular in many countries, but is yet to gain acceptance in Kerala. The state government plans various campaigns to popularise it, as housing for all is on its agenda.