A Critical Appraisal of Local Construction Practices in the Western Himalayan Region with a Focus on the Performance of Buildings under Multiple Hazards

The present study reports the construction practices followed by local masons and construction practitioners in the Western Himalayan region in India that is exposed to multiple hazards. An attempt is made to identify the existing gaps between the current construction practices and those recommended as per the codes of practice and local bye-laws. In this regard, a total of 57 local masons and construction practitioners, having cumulative experience of constructing more than 8,200 buildings in this region, were interviewed. The details regarding the commonly adopted construction sequences and strategies for constructing reinforced concrete (RC) and masonry buildings in this hilly region are presented based on the interview data. Further, the implications of commonly adopted construction practices on the performance of buildings under multiple hazards are critically examined based on (1) the information on the archetype buildings collected during the interview of the local masons and construction practitioners, and (2) the field observations made during recent soil subsidence and soil erosion events in the study region. Based on the presented field data and critical observations from the numerical investigations, this study underlines the urgent need to raise awareness among local masons, construction practitioners, and the local communities about the good construction practices that are crucial to enhancing the disaster resilience of the built environment in the region.