Hyderabad, the fast emerging IT capital of India is recently in news for all wrong reasons. A series of terrorist activities, starting from a powerful bomb blast during Friday prayers at the historic Mecca mosque in the charminar area of Hyderabad on 18th may 2007 which resulted in 12 persons killed and 40 injured to the very recent two powerful near-simultaneous blasts at crowded Lumbini park and popular eating joint Gokul chat shop leaving a toll of 30 persons dead and 60 injured, have tried to jolt the economic backbone and secular fiber of the historic city. But the city is resilient enough to bounce back on its feet. Naturally this type of situation will lead to lot of media discussion and analysis when a serious looking frog-faced politician wags his tongue and the mike-holding news reporter while giving triumphant squint to the camera repeats the oft-repeated questions. Only God can tell how serious both (politician and news reporter) of them really are? Leave apart. At least I should not make a mockery of whole issue of terrorism by making fun of our politicians and news reporters. Some other day. Ok.
Till now you must be thinking what this useless (me) is talking of. Subject is one thing and substance is something else. Ok, let me comeback to the main topic. I was just trying a flip-flop as I am an aspiring politician too! Enough!! Let us go to Hyderabad once again.
NOW READ ON THIS NEWS REPORT-------------
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Hyderabad: Around 30 people were feared dead and another 20 injured after an under-construction flyover collapsed in Hyderabad's busy Panajagutta area late Sunday evening.
The flyover had been under-construction for the past one year, and was to be inaugurated this December.
Sources told CNN-IBN that the number of dead could be 30 at the city's NIMS Hospital and Apollo Hospital, by late Sunday night.
Four injured were taken to the city's Apollo Hospital. After hours of cutting through the concrete slabs, only two bodies had been recovered from the debris by 23:00 hours IST. A total of nine vehicles were still trapped out of which, 3 were auto rickshaws and 9 cars.
OOPS! Again, Hyderabad for wrong reason. Do not worry Hyderabadi. Things happen only in a happening city. Let me eat my words by praising politicians. My salute goes to that astute politician Sri Chandrababu Naidu who made the Hyderabad a happening city.
Now, my friend have you ever thought of about these type collapses? Buildings collapse. Overhead water tanks collapse. Bridges collapse. Flyovers collapse. These are many. As frequent as terrorist attacks. But irony is that we never discuss those. Media too does not give much attention as these are not as glamorous as sting operations.
Believe me these collapses are really devastating. Watch these videos. These are from all over the world including India.
Now the mute question is whether these collapses can be prevented. Can we be sure while purchasing a house with the savings of our entire life that the quality of construction is good and at least the building shall survive four to five decades? Can we be little more vigilant and informed about the durability of a house while purchasing it? Can we predict the approximate life of the building? Can we diagnose the genetic or inherited defect in the construction which shall jeopardize the life of the building? Can we know the soundness of an old building we are going to purchase or we live in? Yes, you can do that by carrying out a HEALTH CHECK UP of the building which shall cost you hardly 2 to 3 percent of the purchase cost, a negligible amount considering that registration of a property including stamp duty expenditure costs you nearly 10 percent of purchase cost. Of course here I am describing the Indian scenario.
You must have started scolding me with choicest vocabularies at your disposal. Useless! What this fellow with a funny name is talking of? Are the buildings are living beings whose health can be checked?
Yes, engineers can check the health of a building, diagnosis the problem and suggest remedy as doctor does for a living being. Like living being it can be a routine or preventive health check up or a health check up after the symptoms of disease is manifested. Hold on. Technology is identical, comprising of physical observations, x-rays, scanning, ultrasound, endoscopies, sample analyses etc and etc. Almost similar. But here you do not go to a doctor; you go to a Civil Engineer. Depending on the problems again you have to approach specialist amongst Civil Engineers.
I know my friends will read "Munna Bhai" in place of "specialist amongst Civil Engineer". Yes, with my parijat flower I am going to create an equivalent of aroma therapy for concrete structures. Oops! Who threw those eggs to me!!
Now, Let me introduce you some of the equipments used for HEALTH CHECK UP of the building.
REBOUND HAMMER: It senses the soundness of concrete up to a marginal depth.
IMPACT ECHO TESTER: Finds out defects in the interior of concrete.
ULTRASONIC TESTERS: Scans through the concrete for the full depth/thickness.
COVER METER: Finds out the cover to the reinforcement (steel bars inside the concrete).
PROFOMETER: Establishes configuration and quantum of interior reinforcements (steel bars inside the concrete)
REBAR PHOTOGRAPHER: Displays interior reinforcements (steel bars) skeleton.
ENDOSCOPIC DEVICE: To examine the void in the concrete.
THERMOGRAPHIC CAMERA: To locate possible defect in a new building.
CRACK MEASUREMENT DEVICE: It measures surface cracks.
PERMEABILITY TESTER: Tests for water penetration in concrete.
THICKNESS GAUGE: Measures the thickness from the surface.
LEAK SEEKER: It locates source of leakages.
COROSION ANALYZER: It measures the extent of corrosion in reinforcements. Corrosion is regarded as equivalent of cancer in the concrete.
X-RAY: Scans inside the concrete.
NOW SEE THIS VIDEO WHICH SHOWS YOU THE EQUIPMENTS USED FOR HEALTH CHECK UP OF THE BUILDINGS.
Now, I know, what you are thinking of and looking for. You are thinking of calling "Munna Bhai" while purchasing a new house and you are desperately looking for my address. Oops! Again!! Why are you throwing eggs to me!!!
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