BUILDING RISK ASSESSMENT AND DISASTER RESILIENT CONSTRUCTION TECHNOLOGIES – FOCUS ON EARTHQUAKES AND FIRES !!!

Delhi Disaster Management Authority (DDMA) in collaboration with National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Government of India has organized a five-days training programme on “Building Risk Assessment and Disaster Resilient Construction Technologies - Focus on Earthquakes and Fires” from 29th August to 2nd September 2022 at Maharaja Agarsen Institute of Technology, Sector 22, Rohini, Delhi.  The programme was attended by 80 the Assistant Engineers, Junior Engineers and Disaster Management Professionals from the Delhi Government’s line department viz. PWD, MCD, DMRC, DSIIDC, DDMA and Flood & Irrigation Department.  

Dr. Garima Aggarwal, Senior Consultant (Resilient Infrastructure), NIDM was the Course Coordinator for the Programme. Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) Rohini Mr. Shahzad Alam, IAS from DDMA (NW) presided over the inaugural ceremony of the programme. Multiple experts from the industry and academics were invited to deliver key-note lectures on the topics of seismic and fire safety. 

Following the inaugural session, Dr. Garima Aggarwal took the first session on training need assessment, basic terminologies of disaster resilience, importance of the building risk assessment & construction technologies. Dr. Hari Kumar covered salient points on the topic of “Structural Issues in Existing Infrastructure and Mitigation Measures”. In line with the same, Prof. Chandan Ghosh delivered a session on “Building Grading System and Health Ratings and Structural Risk Mitigation Measures”.  

Day 2 had very insightful sessions on “Seismic Safety of Non-Structural Components and Risk Mitigation” by Dr. Vasant Matsagar and “Building Risk Assessment, Structural Audit & Health Monitoring” along with a case study of “Seismic Retrofitting of Building Structure” by Mr. Amandeep Garg. Subsequently, Mr. Shounak Mitra delivered sessions on “Post Installed Fastening for Steel-to-Concrete Connections & Concrete-to-Concrete Connections - Standards, Assessment & Installation” in the context of the safety of connections for different applications. 

Day 3 content was designed to address the topic of fire safety wherein Mr. A. K. Malik and Sh. R. C. Sharma in their respective sessions covered the topic of “Disaster Mitigation through Active Fire Protection” followed by deliberation on “Minimizing Fire Damage through Compartmentation of Buildings Using Passive Fire Protection Systems” by Mr. Aravind Chakravarthy V.  Later on, Mr. Anup Karanth highlighted on “Fire-safety Blueprint for Resilient Infrastructure in Cities”. 

This was followed by a practical demonstration of an active fire control device along with a passive fire control system on day 4. The engineers also underwent hands-on experience for the correct installation of post-installed mechanical and chemical anchors along with design validation as per standards, using Profis Engineering Software. 

Shri Surendra Thakur, Joint Director (I/C), NIDM put forth his views on “Institutional Mechanism of Disaster Risk Management in India”. 

During Valedictory Ceremony, a detailed session on Summary, Feedback and Way Ahead was conducted by Dr. Garima Aggarwal.  The participants were felicitated with participation certificates in presence of Mr. Sudhakar, Additional District Magistrate (North West), DDMA and NIDM officials.