Appropriate technology for post-disaster reconstruction - Rebuilding After Disasters: From Emergency to Sustainability - page 67

Similar issues were confronted in Bhachao, where not only did tenants
continue to stay in damaged houses, but vacant lands and houses that were
acquired by the government were encroached on by people migrating from
rural areas in search of the better livelihood opportunities that became
available during reconstruction. Due to the lack of secure tenure, these
constructions are understandably of poor quality.
In rural areas, due to better economic opportunities, the rural poor have
largely benefited from the various interventions and economic packages
announced by several organizations and by the government. For example,
although the initial days were bad for the craftsmen engaged in handicrafts,
the sector recuperated pretty fast, since it was not infrastructure intensive.
Also, the exposure to the outside world actually helped these craftsmen
market their skills and various products to an international client base
much more easily. For example, a village namely Bhujouri consists of several
national-award-winner weaver families. The youngsters of this village now
often participate in various international trade fairs by learning about them
through the Internet. Also, the rural folk can get back to their traditional
occupations of agriculture and animal husbandry.
As stated before, most of the constructions that are going on in the rural
sector are basically expansions of the existing structures. Though some rules
of safety are being violated, the massive loss of life that the 2001 earthquake
created may not be the case if another earthquake happens in the future.
Lessons learnt
Any technology can be considered successful only if it gets internalized in the
local building culture. However, this necessitates certain preconditions which
go beyond its material and design aspects.
Technology introduced during post-disaster reconstruction should not
be seen purely in the 'technical sense'. Rather, it should be based on certain
basic parameters pertaining to the particular society in which it is used, thus
allowing the technology to have a character that is specific yet adaptable,
enabling it to undergo generic change from within rather than forced change
from outside.
Technology, whether it is traditional, modern or alternative, will only be
successful if it caters to multiple criteria. Of course, hazard safety is one
of the primary concerns in disaster-prone areas, but equally (if not more)
important are the considerations of economic viability, cultural compatibility
and climatic suitability that govern the particular context. An appropriate
solution would therefore involve necessary trade-offs between these factors
to achieve viable alternatives, although this may necessitate optimization and
not maximization of earthquake safety.
Moreover, technology should not be seen as a rigid design package to be
provided on a palette to the affected communities. A technology is essentially
a process for which appropriate design and delivery mechanisms need to be