Water Logging In Societiess
Waterproofing work has been going on in many societies of Sector 75 and most managing committees intend to complete it prior the monsoon period.
The monsoon season is always eagerly awaited to bring respite from the scorching heat of summer. But are we really prepared for a good monsoon? A few showers of rain and many spaces turn into pools. The basement areas in many of the buildings experienced severe water logging problems in the past. The rain water flows in through ramps and drainage pipes that are not adequate to carry all the rain water and gets accumulated in basements of the buildings. In most buildings there is provision for basement parking and the accumulated water makes it very difficult for residents to access their parking and in some cases even parked vehicles have been damaged due to the water entering cars. Additionally the stagnant water does not find any outlet and inevitably becomes a source for many other problems- some small and some extremely big. Smaller issues like the stagnant water becoming breeding ground for mosquitoes although harmful to the residents can still be dealt with easily by fogging and use of anti larva chemicals but the stagnant water poses a much bigger risk to the foundation and structure of the building. Even small seepages are harmful to the structure of any building, so just imagine how threatening a pool of ankle and knee deep water can be. With so many cases of building collapse in the news nowadays, the residents are naturally concerned about the issue. Water constantly penetrating the pores of a concrete slab will eventually weaken the structure and create cracks. These cracks may not be visible at first but they will slowly but steadily continue to widen under pressure and if left unchecked can cause catastrophic damage. Apart from the ever looming threat of a collapse, water logging in basements can cause considerable damage to the structure that may require advanced technical expertise and the cost involved in rectifying the damage may be extremely high. Ultimately, be it structural damage or high maintenance and repair cost, the residents are the one at the receiving end.
It is the responsibility of the builders and AOAs to prevent water logging in the basements. Firstly the designing of ramps and other access points should be such that they do not allow water to flow into the basements. Also the drainage pipes meant for carrying rainwater should be adequate in size and number to allow the water to reach the sewers and not overflow into the basement. Also there should be provision for high capacity pumps in the basement to pump out any water that gets accumulated. Remember that we cannot put a price on the safety of human life
