Background and objectives:
The urban poor expend enormous resources on a regular basis, in the upkeep and upgradation of their houses. Often changes are made on an incremental basis annually, as it is difficult to raise the requisite resources for a complete overhaul. This often makes the process more expensive and less satisfying. The overheads paid to the contractor are often incalculable and worse still, inseparable from actual project execution costs. Nonetheless, contactors are known to disappear after initiating the work, to return only after hefty, additional sums are paid. The extended timelines cause inconvenience and despair, and completely disrupt an already fragile existence. Standard material and designs are used by contractors, who sometimes unscrupulously also compromise on core structural requirements, endangering life and property. Nonetheless both from purely pragmatic to aspirational reasons, such efforts continue to occupy a critical place in the wastepicker’s effort to upgrade her living conditions.
The effort to reconstruct Pinky’s house stemmed from several objectives including reducing the standard contractor cost, overheads and timelines involved in such projects. It was also an effort to engage in ecologically and environmentally sound and robust construction, using alternative building technologies and material, reusing discarded construction and demolition waste, thereby increasing diversion of such waste from the landfill, and reducing the overall carbon footprint typically associated with all construction. Finally it was an effort to bring in aesthetic and functional design elements, and engaging the wastepicker proactively in the entire process.
Pinky was one of the wastepickers chosen for this experimental initiative.
Pinky Bhadakwad, is an active member of KKPKP ( Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat) and is involved in door to door waste collection services as a member of SWaCH. She had already indicated her keenness in upgrading her house, having made preliminary enquiries with another contractor. She was ready, and in a position to raise the money required to execute the work.
Specifications:
The following elements regarding redesign of her house at Indira Basti, were worked out with her before commencing the project.
- Staircase, brick walls, RCC slab and beams, doors, aluminium windows, roofing sheets
- Painting ground floor room
- Kitchen Trolleys
- Kitchen platform; shelves and shutters; partition
- Second floor slab – steel and shahbad tiles/ corrugated sheet slab
- Toilet (one Indian WC) and bath (shower; geyser, taps); dado tiles on floor and walls; on second floor; brick bat coba waterproofing
- Stairs from ground till terrace floor (spiral staircase; existing Staircase material to be used)
- Electrical – 6 light points with material and fittings
- Water tank on top; pipes to ground, first and terrace floors
Work execution details:
Unforeseen eventualities:
During construction, it was soon evident that the existing columnar structure was underdesigned as per standard, structural design norms. This needed to be resolved and the columns retrofitted before carrying on with the proposed changes. Following were structural issues observed during redesigning some parts of slab and beams and the solutions designed:
- The existing RCC slab was underdesigned. This was revealed as the construction team demolished a corner of the slab for better ventilation purposes.
Solution : Mild Steel C sections were used to reinforce the existing structure
- There wasn’t any RCC beam for balcony cantilever.
Solution: An arch was added at the entrance.
- First and ground floor walls were structurally weak to take the weight of the ground plus 1 structure with terrace with metal sheet roofing on top.
Solution: Tt was designed to be a composite structure – load bearing and columnar.
Innovative designs, alternate architectural style, recycled material:
- A jack arch slab was used and it was completed in 3 days as compared to conventional RCC slab which takes a period of 21 days to be assembled and cured with water.
- Waste dado tiles were used for terrace bathroom, first floor skirting and kitchen platform wall.
- Left over black granite from a recently renovated middle class kitchen was used for the kitchen platform
- A smoke less chullah to be used during rains was added at the entrance; this would ensure less energy consumed as compared to water heater
- Scrap mild steel grills used for staircase railing and windows on first floor
- Scrap aluminium windows were used on first floor.
- Scrap anti skid tiles used for bathroom and ground floor
- Existing mild steel staircase was cut into 2, thus breaking up the load, allowing for more load below and less load above.
- Left over paints from other projects were used
- Scrap ply, packing boxes ply and pinewood were used for making cupboards and shelves.
The total net diversion of C and D waste from the landfill, is estimated to be the following:
| Item | Weight in kilograms |
| Waste dado tiles | 70 |
| Granite | 65 |
| Scrap mild steel grills | 150 |
| Scrap aluminium windows with glass | 125 |
| Scrap anti skid tiles | 40 |
| Mild steel staircase | 160 |
| Scrap ply, packing boxes ply and pinewood | 80 |
Proposal vs Execution
| Parameters | Proposed | Executed |
| Timeline | 30 days | 42 days |
| Cost | 85000 | 105000 |
| Work details | Renovation | Structural reinforcement |
Process:
For perhaps the first time ever, a wastepicker was so actively engaged in the process of the renovation of the house. Pinky was not only consulted and involved in every stage of the process, but also exposed to design and material options. The entire process was transparent and she was kept in the loop through the minor hiccups and bigger concerns in the course of the execution.
“I don’t think anyone from the vasti- or for that matter, anyone from any vasti in Pune would have visited a store like the Home Décor store. Rajlaxmi showed me the fittings, designs and functionality of the modular kitchens there and helped me articulate my requirements for my modest kitchen”. She asserts that though the project timeline and the cost went over what was originally finalized, it was certainly far more efficient wrt time and money than what any other contractor would ever have delivered. This is an easy calculation for her as there is no dearth of examples from her neighbourhood for the cost and timelines involved in similar projects.
“I didn’t realise that I would have to contend with a steady stream of visitors from the neighbourhood; one of my neighbours comes in every single day and spends a quarter of an hour on each floor, examining the changes made in the course of the day. I feel sorry, when he gazes so wistfully at everything and remarks on how his house lacks so much, despite him having spent so much more. The kids are another matter altogether- there is a stream of nieces and nephews lining up at the bathroom to take a ‘’shower bath’’. My daughter struts around like she is a princess, determining the order in which they can enter the bathroom.
But nothing can beat my 5 year old niece’s remark. The other day, I overheard her telling her friends that she has decided who she is going to marry! My 10 year old son! So, she can move into this palace! She has already decided who will sleep where, in which season, and how they will accommodate us and other guests who visit!”
Immediate impact:
Urban Poor:
Over 50 slum families from Indira Vasti have visited the house and examined all the aspects of the construction with interest bordering on fascination
10 wastepickers and 5 non wastepicker families have expressed interest in remodelling their own houses and have offered to put down payment towards it right away
Wastepickers from other slum pockets have also visited the house and requested for similar projects in their slums
Architects/builders/contractors:
A small, but sensitive group of professionals have expressed interest in participating in this kind of effort by taking on similar projects with other urban poor. 2 architects have already submitted a design with costing for a wastepickers house, after intensive discussions. Some contractors and developers have expressed willingness to donate left over, assorted materials from their own construction projects.
PMC:
The Municipal Commissioner as well as the Principal Secretary, (to CM), Government of Maharashtra, have expressed their approval of and support for the initiative.