KU students design movable flood-proof houses
University of Karachi (KU) students have designed a model for lightweight, movable flood proof houses that can withstand floods by floating.
Students studying architecture at the university’s Department of Visual Studies presented a portable, cost-effective, and ecologically friendly home design that can be used in flood-affected areas, notably in villages.
According to reports, the model homes can be constructed for between 50,000 and 100,000 rupees using only bamboo, floor mats, mud, and recycled plastic bottles. They won’t also have any impact on how people live there.
In the case of a flood, these homes and everything inside—furniture, dishes, etc.—can be readily moved to new locations. In the meantime, students have raised the house walls up to 15 feet in response to recent floods that submerged the area beneath 10 feet of water.
It is mostly constructed of bamboo, and several frames were joined to create movable, detachable walls that can be taken off and transformed into a floating boat to save lives in an emergency. Even flood victims can create their own homes owing to the accessibility of the building supplies.
This model has been deemed realistic by KU’s engineering department, which has requested that it be put into action as soon as possible.
The students discussed how extreme weather and flooding had led them to create a lightweight model of a house that they had constructed while taking into account the way of life, culture, and customs of the displaced flood victims.
Only 4,000 individuals have received temporary tents that are not even secure and do not shield the rescued people from the elements, despite the fact that the recent monsoon floods have forced almost 30 million people to flee their homes.
KU students design movable flood-proof houses
Wajiha Siddiqui, a lecturer in the department of Visual Studies, said that Pakistan must be prepared for more floods in the coming 30 to 50 years since the country will feel the effects of climate change in the form of natural disasters.
She continued by saying that several foundations and NGOs are in contact with them, and that a workshop was also arranged to raise awareness among students about humanitarian issues and flood-related circumstances.
