Damage assessment of flood affected mud houses in Pakistan
Keywords:
Pakistan; Torrential floods; Mud housesAbstract
The torrential floods 2010 in Pakistan played havoc with the people and property in general and of Khyber Phukhtunkhwa (KP) in particular. More than two million houses were damaged partly or totally. The most affected housing stock was mud houses, which were mostly collapsed leading to deaths of people and live stock. In this study, the damaged mud houses in flood affected areas have been analyzed and the major causes of the failure of such houses were documented on the basis of field study and observations. Some improvements have been suggested for reconstruction of mud houses on the basis of international and regional building Codes and studies. It has been observed that if these improvements are incorporated in the construction of houses, the flood related damages can be minimized to greater extent. This can surely lead to the enhanced safety of people lives and property.
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