Northeast’s traditional tech can be used for construction

Our Correspondent
New Delhi, Jan. 18 (EMN): There is still a debate about how traditional technology with local resources such as bamboo in India’s Northeast region can be used as construction materials in housing and habitat development in India, says a local development group.
The vice-president of Development Alternatives group Zeenat Niazi is an architect and a planner by training. Niazi responded to questions about the use of bamboo as a construction material during discussions on ‘Cities for all and housing at the center’ on the first day of two-day workshop with the agenda Urban Journalism Academy (World Urban Forum 9) at the UN information centre and UN habitat New Delhi on Jan. 18 Thur.
The session saw discussions over how development can protect the planet. Although housing is an essential element of urbanization, it must be at the centre of the actions towards sustainable and inclusive urban development including ensuring equal opportunities and better living conditions.
With rising consumption levels, India is already facing supply constraints and import dependence of key materials in certain sectors. The demand for resources in the future will be increasingly huge and may eventually lead to worsening of impact on economy, environment, and access to resources, if not addressed in a timely manner.
At the same time with the government planning to develop 20 million affordable houses by 2020 in the country, it will give a lot of pressure on the land and environment, Development Alternatives functionary said adding that it will connect with food security issues as the development activities are expected to affect the top soil besides impacting on the hydrology of the rivers if the sand is removed as construction materials, said Zeenat.
In fact construction is the largest job sector after agriculture activities in the country, she felt. So media needs to play a key role by disseminating the important information to the general public in masses in connection with these issues.
Similarly, director of the Centre for Urban and Regional Excellence Dr Renu Khosla said on the sideline of the workshop that locally available sustainable construction materials should be promoted by encouraging local entrepreneurs besides making necessary templates for the use such resources etc. “We also need to change our mindsets for the development and promotion of such activities,” she said.
Earlier during the day’s introductory session, Derk Segaar of the UN Information Centre for India and Bhutan said that India will need 22 more cities like Bangalore to accommodate the growing population in urban India in the next 15 years. More infrastructure will be built in India over the next 20 years than what has not been built in the past 2000 years, which means a huge infrastructure development is expected, he said.There is still a debate about how traditional technology with local resources such as bamboo in India’s Northeast region can be used as construction materials in housing and habitat development in India, says a local development group.
The vice-president of Development Alternatives group Zeenat Niazi is an architect and a planner by training. Niazi responded to questions about the use of bamboo as a construction material during discussions on ‘Cities for all and housing at the center’ on the first day of two-day workshop with the agenda Urban Journalism Academy (World Urban Forum 9) at the UN information centre and UN habitat New Delhi on Jan. 18 Thur.
The session saw discussions over how development can protect the planet. Although housing is an essential element of urbanization, it must be at the centre of the actions towards sustainable and inclusive urban development including ensuring equal opportunities and better living conditions.
With rising consumption levels, India is already facing supply constraints and import dependence of key materials in certain sectors. The demand for resources in the future will be increasingly huge and may eventually lead to worsening of impact on economy, environment, and access to resources, if not addressed in a timely manner.
At the same time with the government planning to develop 20 million affordable houses by 2020 in the country, it will give a lot of pressure on the land and environment, Development Alternatives functionary said adding that it will connect with food security issues as the development activities are expected to affect the top soil besides impacting on the hydrology of the rivers if the sand is removed as construction materials, said Zeenat.
In fact construction is the largest job sector after agriculture activities in the country, she felt. So media needs to play a key role by disseminating the important information to the general public in masses in connection with these issues.
Similarly, director of the Centre for Urban and Regional Excellence Dr Renu Khosla said on the sideline of the workshop that locally available sustainable construction materials should be promoted by encouraging local entrepreneurs besides making necessary templates for the use such resources etc. “We also need to change our mindsets for the development and promotion of such activities,” she said.
Earlier during the day’s introductory session, Derk Segaar of the UN Information Centre for India and Bhutan said that India will need 22 more cities like Bangalore to accommodate the growing population in urban India in the next 15 years. More infrastructure will be built in India over the next 20 years than what has not been built in the past 2000 years, which means a huge infrastructure development is expected, he said.