Category Archives: Constructions in Bangladesh

Report/Thesis

  • Improving Indoor Air in Rural Bangladesh: Results of Controlled Experiments – Author: Susmita Dasgupta, Mainul Huq, M. Khaliquzzaman, and David Wheeler

In rural Bangladesh, Indoor Air Pollution (IAP) is dangerously high for poor households dependent on biomass cooking fuels. Based on earlier World Bank research, controlled, scienti fi cally monitored experiments were conducted in Burumdi village, Narayanganj District, to test the effects of structural arrangements and ventilation practices on IAP. Findings suggest optimal structural choices and village-level measures to reduce IAP exposure.

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Improving Indoor Air in Rural Bangladesh: Results of Controlled Experiments – Author: Susmita Dasgupta, Mainul Huq, M. Khaliquzzaman, and David Wheeler

  • Post-Cyclone Sidr Family Shelter Construction in Bangladesh

Summary

Cyclone Sidr, a category four cyclone with a 200-240 kilometers per hour wind speed, hit coastal Bangladesh on the 15th November 2007. This caused extensive damage across 30 southern districts and affected 8.9 million people. It had a death toll of 3,406 with 871 missing and over 55,000 injuries. The total number of damaged and destroyed houses was 1,522,077 of which over 564,967 houses were totally destroyed and 957,110 houses were partially damaged. Within a week after the cyclone, many development and humanitarian agencies together with the Government established the Shelter Coordination Group or the Shelter Cluster. An Early recovery Assessment was carried out (within three months) followed by the Early Recovery Action plan, which emphasized the need to build Transitional or Core Family Shelters and to assist in repairing the houses. To date, around 5% of the shelter need has been supported by building Core and Transitional Shelters. The 12 most severely damaged districts out of the 30 affected districts were focused for shelter interventions and have mostly been covered by various types of shelter intervention. This shelter gap was mainly covered by house repair assistance from the Government and some agencies in the form of the distribution of a cash grant and of shelter kits comprising tools and materials. Almost two years after cyclone Sidr, many of the Shelter Working Group member agencies have completed their shelter programme, some of these are still on the ground continuing their effort and some are raising more funds to carry on more family shelter reconstruction programmes to cover the unmet need.The Shelter Working Group estimates that out of the 200 listed members; around 30 active member agencies reported their activities and assisted in the relief effort at different phases, with various types of responses such as cash grants and loans, repair, renovation and construction assistance. The families who received houses from the shelter working group member agencies were selected in terms of their vulnerability (women headed households,elderly, disabled, widower etc.) as per the early recovery mandate. The local government played a key role for coordinating with the implementing agencies and in allocating designated work areas, whilst the agencies also verified the places themselves. However, there were complaints about the government and few agency assisted shelter providers on the quality of houses or the quantity of materials received and also on discrepancies in the household selection process. Some agencies ensured documentation and monitored the process at each household level to make owners aware of what products or assistance they were receiving and when. But this good practice was rare as the local implementing partner agencies were sometimes over stretched to deliver shelters rather than to mobilize the community to ensure that they know their rights and to participate in their own house building process. Building houses for those living outside the tidal surge protection embankment and those without a land of their own was a key challenge. Most of the aid agencies avoided responding directly as it involved working through a bureaucratic and legal process. This was considered time consuming within their short-term post-disaster programme funding time frame and the donor demand. Some of them indirectly facilitated the process by encouraging people to relocate themselves in a safer location inland. Despite the pressure to ‘build back faster’ in the post disaster context, some agencies did manage to ‘build back better’ within the donor driven demand by having a dialogue with and advocating the rights for the most vulnerable landless coastal population. The Government of Bangladesh continued their pre-existing response to provide barrack style, combined row houses for the landless population. Overall, environmental considerations like green belt and embankment protection or the provision of water sanitation facilities were often ignored in order to provide a durable shelter within the limited budget. However, money and resources were spent by few agencies who often did not consider the tidal surge and flood protection issues for a durable water sanitation solution. Risk reduction initiatives such as advice on planting bigger trees away from houses to avoid house damage or the implementation of safe sanitation practices were considered by very few agencies. The provisions of water for the household or at the community level were not prioritized by many agencies, although some did provide various types of communal water facilities.

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Post-Cyclone Sidr Family Shelter Construction in Bangladesh

 

Journal/Seminar paper

  • Analytical investigation to the bending strength-deformation characteristics of the piers of Khilgaon Flyover in Dhaka -Author: M. A. Kader and M. M. Hoque
    Abstract

Bending strengths-deformation characteristics of the piers of Khilgaon have been investigated analytically by taking the non linearity of the material into consideration. The bottom most sections of the piers, the most critical sections in pier under bending, are used in the analysis. To achieve the goal, nonlinear sectional analyses of the reinforced concrete (RC) piers are carried out using fiber model of RC cross-sections. Moment-curvature relationships are found from the sectional analysis results. Yield moments, ultimate moments, and yield curvatures and ultimate curvatures are obtained from moment-curvature relationships. An elastic perfectly plastic model for reinforcing steel and a well recognized nonlinear constitutive model for concrete incorporating the effect of confinements has been used in the analysis. The effect of axial force on the moment strength has been investigated.

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Analytical investigation to the bending strength-deformation characteristics of the piers of Khilgaon Flyover in Dhaka -Author: M. A. Kader and M. M. Hoque

  • Basic geotechnical earthquake engineering –  Author: Dr. Kamalesh Kumar

Preface

Earthquake resistant geotechnical construction has become an important design aspect recently. This book BASIC GEOTECHNICAL EARTHQUAKE ENGINEERING is intended to be used as textbook for the beginners of the geotechnical earthquake engineering curriculum. Civil engineering undergraduate students as well as first year postgraduate students, who have taken basic undergraduate course on soil mechanics and foundation engineering, will find subject matter of the textbook familiar and interesting.

Emphasis has been given to the basics of geo-technical earthquake engineering as well as to the basics of earthquake resistant  geo-technical construction in the text book. At the end of each chapter home work problems have been given for practice. At appropriate places, solved numerical problems and exercise numerical problems have also been given to make the  subject matter clear. Subject matter of the textbook can be covered in a course of  one semester which is about of 4 to 4.5 months duration. List of references given at the end of
book enlists references which have been used to prepare this basic book on eotechnical earthquake engineering. Although the book is on geo-technical earthquake engineering, the last chapter of book is on earthquake resistant design of buildings,  considering its significance in the context of earthquake resistant construction. The ultimate judges of the book will be student, who will use the book to understand the basic concepts of geotechnical earthquake engineering. Suggestions to improve the usefulness of the book will be gratefully received.

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Basic geotechnical earthquake engineering –  Author: Dr. Kamalesh Kumar

  • Ground Improvement using Pre-loading with Prefabricated Vertical Drains – Author: Ashutosh Sutra Dhar, Abu Siddique, Syed Fakrul Ameen

Abstract

A container yard was constructed for handling of loaded containers at Chittagong Sea Port in Bangladesh covering an area of 60700 m2 over a sub-soil that included a layer of soft clayey silt/silty clay at depths of 0 to 3.5 m below grade. Thicknesses of the soft stratum varied from 3 m to 7 m. Ground improvement using pre-loading with prefabricated vertical drains was undertaken to pre-consolidate the compressible sub-soils, which was followed by field monitoring. It is revealed that the classical theories can effectively be used in calculating the consolidation settlement and the time for consolidation. Predicted settlements and the consolidation time matched reasonably with the measured values. To account for smear effects, the coefficient of consolidation and the coefficient of permeability were taken as those for vertical flow. Predictions with smear diameter equal to two times the equivalent drain diameter provided an upper bound of the consolidation time while prediction without consideration for smear effects provided a lower bound of the consolidation time for the container yard project.

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Ground Improvement using Pre-loading with Prefabricated Vertical Drains – Author: Ashutosh Sutra Dhar, Abu Siddique, Syed Fakrul Ameen

  • Inventory of life cycle CO2 emission of selected building materials of
    Bangladesh – Author: S. Khusru, M. A. Noor

Abstract

Bangladesh is a developing country. The construction sector of Bangladesh has seen massive boom in last few decades and is responsible for greenhouse gases contribution. The aim of the study is to develop inventory of life cycle CO2 emission equations for seven most widely used construction materials of Bangladesh namely brick, cement, sand, steel; both from billet and scrap, stone chips, timber and concrete. The system boundaries have been both cradle to gate and cradle to grave. Locally used units have been used in developing these empirical equations. The stages considered have been raw materials extraction, processing, transportation, construction of building, demolition and disposal. Operational CO2 emission of the building has not been taken into consideration. The developed equations will help the local civil engineers to assess and compare the environmental impact of building projects in different locations of Bangladesh and also help to identify sustainable building material for Bangladesh.

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Inventory of life cycle CO2 emission of selected building materials of
Bangladesh – Author: S. Khusru, M. A. Noor

  • People versus Power: The Geopolitics of Kaptai Dam in Bangladesh – Author: SAI LA PARVEEN & I. M. FAISAL

Abstract

This paper examines the impacts of the Kaptai dam, in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh, on the tribal communities of that area. Kaptai dam is the only hydro-power source in Bangladesh, with an installed capacity of 230 MW; about 5% of the electricity consumed in the country is produced there. When the dam was built in 1962, some 100 000 people were displaced and few of them received adequate compensation. Recently, the Power Development Board (PDB) of Bangladesh has announced a plan to install two new 50 MW units that will bring the capacity of the dam to 330 MW. This plan will cause the reservoir water level to rise and may take away about 7500 ha of the fringe land, which the tribal people use for rice cultivation during the April–August period each year. As before, the PDB has not discussed this plan with the potentially affected tribal groups, who are concerned about losing the fringe land and an important source of income. The paper discusses the original displacement issue and this recent development in the light of the geopolitical history of this region. It attempts to present an objective analysis o fthese issues and views held by various concerned parties. It then proposes a scheme for managing the Kaptai reservoir based on a participatory approach that will ensure both economic effŽciency and social equity.

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People versus Power: The Geopolitics of Kaptai Dam in Bangladesh – Author: SAI LA PARVEEN & I. M. FAISAL

  • PERFORMANCE OF BORED CAST-IN-SITU R.C.C. PILES IN BANGLADESH – Author: Md. Nwul Amin, Sabina Shahnaz

Abstract

The major part of Bangladesh is formed of young fluvio-deltaic sedimentary deposits, laid down by the mighty rivers Ganges and Brahmaputra. There are some older deposits in the hilly regions and Pleistocene terraces. The young fluvio-dcltaic deposits are composed of unconsolidated sediments, where the upper strata are very soft. The water table remains near to the surface throughout the year. As such construction ofdeep foundations has become essential for tall buildings, bridges and hydraulic structures. Bored Cast·in-Situ reinforced concrete pile is widely adopted as deep foundations. Jt is cost effective, time saving and the equipment and technology are readily available. This paper reviews and summarizes the performance ofBored Cast·in-Situ reinforced concrete piles in Bangladesh with special emphasis on present construction practice. T11is paper also evaluates the deficiencies in design and construction ofsuch piles and suggests remedial
measures for acceptable piles.

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PERFORMANCE OF BORED CAST-IN-SITU R.C.C. PILES IN BANGLADESH – Author: Md. Nwul Amin, Sabina Shahnaz

  • River Embankment and Bank Failure in  bangladesh: A Study on Geotechnical  Characteristics and Stability Analysis – Author: Md. Bellal Hossain, Toshinori Sakai, Md. Zakaria hossain

Abstract

This paper aimed to investigate the geotechnical properties of failed Jamuna river embankment material and Padma riverbank material of Bangladesh. Study results reveal that the soil of Jamuna river embankment is not well graded sand and the permeability is found moderately high which increases rapidly in submerge condition. The maximum strength is found low as embankment material. Moreover, the slope is not well protected that makes the embankment vulnerable to erosion. In case of riverbank failure, the permeability and strength of bank material both decreases rapidly with the increase of water content which associates the bank failure process. Nevertheless, the tension crack behind the bank face and toe erosion also accelerate the mass failure mechanism of the riverbank. The design methodology of embankment was evaluated by a case study. The study found that the factor of safety (FS) is over estimated of about 22-24% if seepage analysis is not considered in designing embankment.

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River Embankment and Bank Failure in Bangladesh: A Study on Geo-technical Characteristics and Stability Analysis – Author: Md. Bellal Hossain, Toshinori Sakai, Md. Zakaria hossain

  • Securing the Environment: Potentiality of Green Brick in Bangladesh – Author: Maksuda Hossain,Abu Md. Abdullah

Abstract

This paper presents the buzzing issue of green brick technology with the promises to protect the environment against the multidimensional damage done by traditional brick system. Bangladesh now facing a flourish in real estate sector that stimulates the brick industry too, but the very traditional brick making system destroys the diminishing  forest of this country intensifying the emission of carbon in the air polluting environment and endangering the life and livestock of the country. After presentingsuch facts regarding traditional brick system, the paper also examines the potentiality of green brick technology with details. Automated process, govt. support and extreme high demand with income through selling carbon credit are some promises of this green brick. The pollution of environment and ways to reduce this through this environment friendly brick making industry is the key concern ofthis research.

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Securing the Environment: Potentiality of Green Brick in Bangladesh – Author: Maksuda Hossain,Abu Md. Abdullah

  • Severity of Flood Embankments in Bangladesh and Its Remedial Approach – Author: Hossain, M.Z. and Sakai, T.

Abstract

Construction of earthen flood control embankments is an established practice in Bangladesh for protecting people’s lives and homes, agriculture and infrastructures. The paper reports the results of recent status of river and flood control embankments in Bangladesh based on the field visits to embankments site, collected data and information on failure and on-service embankments during field visits, necessary data related to embankments construction practice obtained from available publications and news paper information reported in the year 2007. It studies the basic features and characteristics of floods and flood hazards, and reviews the design & construction practices followed. Several cases of successful and unsuccessful river and flood control embankments are investigated and analyzed. Based on the results of analyses and discussion, it shows that the present method of embankments in Bangladesh, although requires huge amount of money for its construction and repair every year, fails to solve the flood problem effectively and permanently rather it brings many other new problems. It not only increases the siltration on the floodplains and river beds but also creates a risky situation for the inhabitants inside the boundary of embankments. On the basis of overall present situation in Bangladesh, the paper also suggests a proper design and construction method of embankments to control and minimize the extent of flood hazards in the long run.

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Severity of Flood Embankments in Bangladesh and Its Remedial Approach – Author: Hossain, M.Z. and Sakai, T.

  • SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY – Author: Dr. Tarek Uddin Mohammed

Abstract

This paper presents a summary of some recent research closely associated with the sustainable development of concrete technology in Bangladesh. The research projects include: (1) causes of deterioration of concrete structures in Bangladesh, (2) problems at construction sites that causes early deterioration of concrete structures in Bangladesh, (3) the quality of various cement brands commonly used in Bangladesh, (4) the properties of concrete made with various aggregates commonly used in Bangladesh, and (5) recycling of demolished concrete as coarse aggregate for new construction.

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SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF CONCRETE TECHNOLOGY – Author: Dr. Tarek Uddin Mohammed

  • The effect of political unrest on construction time for food grain
    warehouses in Bangladesh

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine the factors that effect actual construction time in the context of food sector projects in Bangladesh. One of the factors of particular interest is political unrest. The data for the study was obtained from a leading design and construction management company in Bangladesh. The sample size consisted of data for 104 food grain warehouse projects scattered all over the country. The effect of political unrest on construction time was analyzed in conjunction with other known variables of time overrun, such as increase in project cost and delay in procurement of construction materials. The results indicated that the effect local political unrest on construction time was statistically significant even in the presence project cost and procurement of materials variables. It was concluded that political unrest could be included in prediction models used for finding out actual construction time of food grain warehouse projects in Bangladesh. Based on these findings, a prediction model for construction time for such projects was developed.

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The effect of political unrest on construction time for food grain warehouses in Bangladesh

  • The lateral strength and ductility of the piers of Khilgaon Flyover in
    Dhaka – Author: M.A. Kader & M.M. Hoque

Abstract

Lateral strengths of the piers of Khilgaon flyover have been evaluated analytically under bending, and shear mode of failure independently. The lateral strengths in bending are obtained using the results of nonlinear sectional analyses of the pier sections, while the shear strength of the piers are calculated using code defined equation taking into account the effect of depth, volumetric ratio of lateral steel, crushing strength of concrete, yield strength of steel. A fiber model of the pier sections at the critical positions are developed for obtaining M −φ relationships. Subsequently, nonlinear pushover analyses of the piers are carried out to obtain P − ∆ relationships. The material nonlinearity is taken into accounted for sectional analysis, while the material and geometric nonlinearity are considered for pushover analyses. In this study, ultimate capacities in bending and shear, yield and ultimate displacement, ultimate and allowable ductility are obtained from M −φ and P − ∆ relationships. Ductility are expressed in terms of both curvature and displacement ductility. Finally, the lateral strengths of the piers are presented in normalized form.

For more details please follow the link below:

The lateral strength and ductility of the piers of Khilgaon Flyover in Dhaka – Author: M.A. Kader & M.M. Hoque