The University of Karachi (KU) Students have designed a model for lightweight houses that have the capability of sustaining floods by staying afloat.
Architecture students of the Department of Visual Studies presented the economical, eco-friendly, and mobile design of houses that can be used in flood-affected regions and particularly in villages.
The model houses can be made at a cost of Rs. 50,000 to 100,000 as materials like bamboo, floor mat, mud, and recycled plastic bottles are used for their construction. Additionally, they will not affect the inhabitantsÂ’ way of living in any way.
These mobile houses can easily be transported to different places with everything inside them like crockery, furniture, etc. in the event of a flood. Moreover, students have raised the walls of the houses up to 15 feet considering the results of recent floods that inundated under 10 feet of water.
This model has been declared practical by KUÂ’s Engineering Department which has asked to have it executed as soon as possible.
Explaining the idea, the students said that harsh weather conditions and floods had motivated them to develop a lightweight model of a house which they designed in view of the lifestyle, culture, and traditions of the displaced flood victims.
They said that houses are mainly made of bamboo, and several frames were joined to form adjustable and detachable walls that can be detached and converted into a floating boat to rescue lives in crisis. In addition, the construction material is also easily available and even flood victims can easily build the houses themselves.
Moreover, 30 million people have been displaced by the recent monsoon floods and just 4,000 have been given temporary tents that are not even safe and do not protect the rescued people from the elements.
Meanwhile, a lecturer from the Visual Studies department, Wajiha Siddiqui, stated that Pakistan will experience the harmful effects of global warming in the form of natural disasters, which is why it is important for the country to be prepared for more floods in the next 30 to 50 years.