The situation may deteriorate further. While communities in the region can do little about the larger issues, they can take steps to deal with some things they have control over — like the houses they live in. Indigenous communities such as the Mising have traditionally lived in low-lying areas, and their houses have been adapted to deal with floods.
Known as chang ghar , these are simple huts elevated on bamboo stilts with mud foundations — temporary structures that last about five years. More frequent flooding in parts of Assam has shortened how the length of time the houses last.
Pathuri, a local builder who works with bamboo, used to live in one such hut. Starting in September , after the monsoon and flood, SEEDS worked with local builders to develop an improved chang ghar design that could be adapted to the terrain. With funds from Godrej Group, the Indian multinational conglomerate, and a local field partner, SEEDS trained local builders like Ratan Pathuri to construct 80 of these houses within the next year.
The houses rest on rubberised bamboo columns set in a concrete base. A flexible joinery system allows homeowners to raise the floor higher if necessary, while cross-bracing bamboo supports make the structure capable of withstanding movement caused by floods and earthquakes. The buildings occupy a core area of about 23 square meters and follow the Sphere Handbook , a set of universal minimum standards in humanitarian responses.
Constructed with sturdy, locally available species of bamboo, each house costs about USD to build with community participation. It takes about seven days to construct the main frame of the house. Umananda Pathuri, who also lost his home in the flood, moved into his chang ghar 2.
Umananda says that in the past three years, around 10 other villagers have adopted the new design independently, having seen how much more flood-resilient it is. There is another challenge: since kutcha houses are deemed temporary homes, they cannot be easily used as collateral for bank loans. The new design has amenities like piped water and is replicable in other flood-prone geographies.
As climate change causes more extreme precipitation events, impacting some of the poorest geographies on the planet, inexpensive stilt houses offer a solution to make low-lying communities more resilient to its impacts.
I had the opportunity to visit Golaghat in Assam way back in , working with the state government in a joint project with our organization. But we were surprised that not a single family preferred to stay in this concrete structure.
On further discussions with the local habitants, they said that the thatch structure helped them to have better quality of life, good ventilation, local artisans could weave sarees, the silk worms would thrive in the humid climate. Based on the feedback, the entire home was put on concrete stilts with the superstructure made of locally available bamboo.
In Nepal too we have lost this type of housing so this development is most welcome. Just one point though. I wonder if replacing corrugated sheets with Japanese style thatching would make this design even better.
In hot Assam tin roofing is probably not the best solution for dissipating the heat. Japanese style thick thatching is able to withstand typhoon winds and rain and earthquakes. Maybe there is a case for Chang Ghar 3. Sign me up for the newsletter. By using this comment form you consent to the storing of your name and IP address on this website. To learn about where and why we store this data, please see our privacy policy. Since Assam is prone to frequent earthquakes, the need of the hour is lightweight renewable materials for house construction to avoid destruction and disaster.
Bamboo, a locally available material, is undoubtedly an appropriate construction material. Bamboo is a very robust construction material aiding in extremely long-lasting and termite-free construction. Assamese homes have slanted roofs with wood frequently being used in conjunction with the metal sheets.
The interiors of these beautiful cottages, nestled among the greens with a rustic appearance and feel of timber and bamboo are ornamented with handicrafts waved from caner and bamboo.
These act as a visually appealing element in the interior spaces. Every year, Assam is overwhelmed by the monsoon which leads to floods sweeping away everything they encounter which includes human settlements to the rice fields. In , Assam saw one of the worst floods in its history. The community banded together, with local assistance, to bring the property back to life. One of the first things they did was build bamboo stilt homes.
Stilt bamboo houses are most often found in Golaghat, Assam, India, where they are most suited for flood-prone regions. Locals learned to make things out of bamboo due to the abundance of high-quality bamboo, including durable dwelling shelters.
G iven that the region was flooded about three times a year, such dwellings were virtually a necessity. In contemporary times, technology has been used with indigenous expertise to create bamboo stilt buildings that are appropriate for this area. Natural calamities are a challenge to the architectural industry to look for solutions that may aid in human survival.
The answer to this challenge often lies in the old traditional practices belonging to that area. One such example can be seen in the case of Assam. All it took was the knowledge of the native wisdom of Assamese architecture.
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Why houses in Assam are built …. Why houses in Assam are built on stills? Assam is a plain area surrounded by hills on all three sides in large area of North-East. So, Assam is usually flooded. So people of Assam built houses on stilts.
To avoid being flooded they build their houses on silt. Related Questions:. Who was Devi Lal? Which party formed by him. How many Union Territory does India have. Compare both the houses of Indian parliament in five points. Two statements are given in the question below as Assertion A and Reasoning R. Read the statements and choose the appropriate option.
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