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Alternative Building Materials (ABMs)
The construction sector has undergone a radical change during the last two decades. In Jammu & Kashmir especially in Kashmir valley huge houses and shopping malls are being constructed. Not only in cities and towns, we see huge mansions coming up in villages and remote areas of Kashmir. Every family is in a competition with their relatives and neighbours vis a vis having a huge concrete house. Agriculture land is being sold to make huge mansions and shopping complexes. This is a matter of serious concern as the agriculture land holding is coming down drastically. Unofficially the agriculture land holding in Kashmir valley is less than ½ acre (4 kanals) which was almost an acre 15 years back. The paddy cultivation has come down drastically. To create huge concrete structures we need more building material like bricks, sand, cement, gravel and quarry stones. This is impacting our rivers, streams, mountains, karewas and agricultural land. The rates of building material are also going up beyond our imagination. A truck of sand is sold @ Rs 13000 to 16000 on an average, while the same was available only for Rs 6000 to 8000, some 2 to 3 years back. Most of the streams & rivers have a lot of sand and other riverbed material left inside them as a large amount of RBM is excavated for construction of highways and roadways which is again destroying these natural resources. Can we afford to construct huge concrete structures with traditional construction material like sand, bricks, cement, gravel, clay etc., in Kashmir after 10 to 15 years? No, not at all. We have to lookout for alternative building materials now. Our Government must create a separate cell for it, especially under the Public Works Department (PWD). Such cells should be set up in Municipalities & other local bodies.
ABMs are increasingly being used to replace the conventional and traditional building materials like clay bricks, sand etc. In some areas in Africa earth based materials are modified with plant residues or animal dung to improve the durability and the architectural aesthetics of houses. Depending on the locally available resources and the level of affordability of the residents, industrialised ABMs such as cement and lime are also being put into use in most Sub Saharan African nations.
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