Columns buckle, beams crack, pillars collapse, cranes topple, but netas go on
The recent tragedy resulting from the collapse of a flyover
under construction in Kolkata
has made many engineers think more about using technology to
save lives.
There are tried and tested technologies for monitoring the
health of buildings, bridges, and other structures. Visit
Sensors can easily monitor strain, load, displacement and
vibration. They can report this over wires or over wireless signals to
monitoring stations. In relation to the cost of the structures involved, they
are quite affordable. Higher education is often years ahead of the prevalent
practice in the concerned industry. It would be great if electronics
departments and structural engineering departments in engineering colleges
cooperate to encourage students to carry out projects using sensors to monitor
structures. One such project is that designing and implementing an instrument
that can be retrofitted to a crane to alert us of risky operating
conditions.
Technology is no use against corruption in departments of
state and local governments concerned with approvals and oversight of
construction and modifications. Most
building collapses and fires result from failure to inspect and enforce relevant
rules. Widespread corruption in concerned departments is the reason why many
netas cling to positions giving them control over these departments. One
solution to this problem would be for forces fighting corruption to demand
resignation of netas who have had control of engineering departments that have
visibly failed. It does not matter whether the cause is incompetence or corruption
in a given case. The netas have to go either way!
