Earthquake strikes South Asia

The earthquake that struck northern Pakistan, Afghanistan and J&K region of India, measuring 7.6 on the Richter scale, was the most serious earthquake to hit the area in over a century. The epicentre was about 90 km northeast of the Pakistani capital, Islamabad, and close to Muzaffarabad. The earthquake struck at 08.50 am Pakistan time and 9.20 am Indian standard time on October 8, 2005. Strong aftershocks continued to be felt thereafter.

In Pakistan, the official death toll is now estimated at well over 50,000 with the number still expected to rise. Over 50 percent of the homes in Muzaffarabad and most government buildings have reportedly been destroyed. Towns and villages in the North-West Frontier Province have also been seriously affected, with at least 1,600 killed. Around 200,000 houses have been damaged.

In India, different areas of Jammu and Kashmir were also seriously affected by the earthquake, although the loss of life is currently estimated at around 1500. In Jammu and Kashmir, the worst-affected towns were Uri, Baramulla, Poonch, and Rajouri. The number of injured in Jammu and Kashmir is currently estimated at around 1,000. Again, these numbers are likely to rise. Around 100,000 houses have been damaged. Early indications are that many bridges are damaged. There have been numerous landslides, and many public buildings and private houses have collapsed.

- - Compiled from various sources

The Indian economy may register 7.3 percent growth for the fiscal 2005-2006 according to the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The CII report also points to a better than expected performance of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) which grew at 9.3 percent from April to July 2005-2006.

The report mentions that the overall growth of core sector production was 5.5 percent for April to June 2005-2006 as compared to 8.1 percent for the same period in 2004-2005.

Sectors that are pulling the growth rate down are crude petroleum, petroleum products and finished steel. CII expects inflation to be on the higher side of its 5 - 5.5 percent projection due to rising crude oil prices.

- Financial Express

Except power, coal and crude oil production, other infrastructure sectors recorded significant growth during July as compared to the same period in the previous year.

"However, all sectors except cement and refinery production, missed their targets set for the month," according to a release by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

In a report, after a review of the infrastructure sector's performance, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said that while upgradation/ construction of roads exceeded the target by 46.3 percent, import cargo handled crossed the target by 43.4 percent during April-July 2005 .

- Business Standard


Progress on National Building Code

The ministry of consumer affairs, food and public distribution has evolved the National Building Code to minimise disaster due to the natural calamities like earthquake. The code prepared by experts of Bureau of Indian Standards after studying various related aspects for two years is being submitted to the home ministry for further necessary action.

This was disclosed by Mr L. Mansingh, Secretary, Department of Consumer Affairs while addressing the celebrations of World Standards Day. Expressing concern over large-scale disasters due to earthquake in Kutch and recently in Jammu & Kashmir, he said that the effective implementation of modern standardisation is a must to minimise disasters. Stressing the need of uniform standardisation of products and services, Mr. Mansingh said that efforts should be made to adopt each others standards wherever possible. Citing the example of Kutch (Gujarat), where Mr Mansingh had coordinated the relief measures on behalf of the centres, he said that massive international aid at that time could not be used effectively in the absence of standardisation, specially in the case of medicines and tents. After globalisation of trade, standardisation has assumed very high significance. The Bureau of Indian Standards has geared up to face new challenges and to lay down modern and higher norms of standardisation wherever required in services or products, the secretary said.

- Press Information Bureau release


World Bank cautions against 'little civil wars' on water

World Bank water expert and country director of Brazil, John Briscoe, said that water was becoming a big issue and "little civil wars" are going on between states; between different users in a basin; between community and state; between farmers and the environment; between farmers and the city; and between farmers and the command areas.

Mr. Briscoe attributed the water scarcity in India to complacency on the part of the government. At the turn of the century, wells have become the major source of irrigation, surpassing canal irrigation by a huge margin. He suggested that India and Pakistan should think of jointly developing a major hydro-electric project in Jammu & Kashmir. The World Bank water expert also suggested that India should take up major dam projects in a big way. The World Bank, as part of the country assistances strategy for 2004-2008 proposes to increase lending for water related projects from $ 200 million to $ 900 million per annum. The assistance will cover water and sanitation projects in rural and urban areas. The bank will also provide assistance to hydroelectric projects .

- Financial Express

NTPC's hydro initiative gathers steam

Faced with a massive fuel crunch at its thermal stations, the Rs. 260 billion NTPC Ltd. has stepped up its hydroelectric generation initiative with eight hydel projects totalling 4442 MW on the anvil. Of these, three projects with a cumulative capacity of 1920 MW are currently under development, while the company has zeroed in on five more hydro projects totalling 2522 MW, which are under consideration and are to be taken up for execution by the end of the current plan period, NTPC officials said.

Of the three hydroelectric projects under construction, the 800 MW Koldam project would be commissioned in 2008- 2009 while the 600 MW Loharianag Pala and 520 MW Tapovan Vishnugad projects are to be commissioned by 2010, officials said.

- Business Standard

NHDP-V highway scheme gets nod

A committee on infrastructure headed by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh cleared the Rs 227.50 billion fifth phase of national highways scheme, covering 6500 km. This phase expected to be completed by 2012 will include the six-laning of highways and expressways. This will cover providing additional two-lane to 5700 km of the Golden Quadrilateral and 800 km on other select highways.

Named NHDP-V, the project is estimated to cost Rs 35 million per km, private investment is estimated at Rs 193.35 billion while budgetary support would be about Rs 34.15 billion. "The project will be handled by a new concession agreement. It will be on the design-build- finance-operate-transfer basis," road transport and highways minister, T.R. Baalu said.

- Business Standard

Dubai to help build Hyderabad roads

The Andhra Pradesh government and Dubai government's Department of Economic Development has signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation for the development of the proposed 165 km, eight-lane outer ring road (ORR), Knowledge Corridor project and clusters around Hyderabad.

While the first two projects alone are expected to cost more than Rs. 50 billion, about two dozen clusters or satellite townships proposed along the outer ring road project which are likely to be developed in the private sector are expected to require even bigger investmentst.

- Business Standard

Rs 772 million sanctioned for pilot rural road project using JGT

The central government has sanctioned the pilot project for building rural roads using jute geo textile (JGT) after a sustained effort for the last two years by the Jute Manufacturers Development Council (JMDC). JGT is a diversified version of jute products.

Arun Kumar Bal, JMDC Secretary in his speech at the 80th annual general meeting (AGM) of Gunny Trades Association (GTA) said, recently the union rural development ministry sanctioned Rs. 772 million for this project to construct 48 km of roads at 10 locations in five states, namely, West Bengal, Orissa, Assam, Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.

Mr. Bal said the construction work will start from November this year after the finalisation of the open tenders, is over. According to him, the project which is being implemented under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojna will be carried out by the respective state governments with the JMDC providing technical support .

- Financial Express

Skybus ready for comeback

Konkan Railway Corporation's Skybus Metro project, which came under a cloud after a crash on a trial track in Goa last September, is ready to stage a comeback. It is reported that a panel has given the technology a clean chit, but has called for more work to make it commercially viable and safer.

Bolstered by the findings, KRCL now plans to pitch for short distance projects in Mumbai like the Santacruz to Sahar airport terminal. KRCL - with contracts worth Rs 4000 million and Rs. 1500 million for transport projects in Pune and Hyderabad respectively - is also in the process of identifying partners in both cities under a build-operate-transfer model.

In Pune, Skybus is developing a 7.5 km route from the Pune railway station to Swargate and in Hyderabad, it is carrying a 22 km route from Uppal to Maslipatnam.

- The Times of India

Rainwater harvesting gaining momentum in Maharashtra

The recent move by Maharashtra government and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to make rainwater harvesting mandatory for all new developments, both residential and commercial structures in Mumbai and other parts of state, is gradually gaining momentum.

The state urban development department had issued a directive amending the Development Control Regulations (DC Rules) whereby all future residential and commercial complexes, big and small will have to have rainwater harvesting (RWH) installation. The BMC may impose a levy of Rs 1000 per annum for every 100 m2 of built-up area for the failure of the owner of any building failing to provide or maintain RWH structures.

Currently there are some 200 odd housing societies in Greater Mumbai that have employed RWH techniques. Sources said that RWM is also quietly picking up in rest of Maharashtra. Suprabha Marathe heading BMC's RWH Cell strongly believes that in the long run successfully implementing RWH will not only conserve water, but will also make water cheaper. "The initial installation cost is Rs 0.438/m2 (Rs 4.72/ft2). Operational cost is negligible except for the electricity required for pumping.

- Financial Express

Projects awarded by NHAI

Nagarjuna Construction

Nagarjuna Construction Company Ltd. has announced that it has secured a new order of Rs. 2530 million from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for the construction of Lucknow-Muzaffarpur national highway project on NH-28 under joint venture.

Simplex bags Rs. 2600 million project

Simplex Concrete Piles (I) Ltd. has secured a Rs 2600 million project from NHAI for executing the Lucknow-Muzaffarpur national highway. The project involves making the 40 km Gorakhpur-Gopalganj section of the National Highway No. 28 a four-lane one, which falls in Uttar Pradesh. According to the terms and conditions of the NHAI contract, the project is scheduled to be completed within 36 months.

- Business Standard

Patel Engg. bags two infrastructure projects

Patel Engineering Ltd has bagged two projects in the irrigation and railway sectors worth a total of Rs. 3740 million. A company press release said the first project was the Nettampadu lift irrigation project worth Rs. 3150 million and the second was a railway tunnel project worth Rs. 590 million.

The lift irrigation project is designed to irrigate about 38000 hectares while the railway tunnel project is part of the Lumding - Silchar conversion project in Assam.

- Business Standard

NHPC awards two projects to HCC

Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) has bagged two projects from the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation. The combined size of the projects is nearly Rs 10.8 billion. These are the Uri-II Hydroelectric project in Jammu and Kashmir and the Chamera Hydroelectric project in Himachal Pradesh. The projects are expected to be completed with four years and 52 months respectively.

- Business Standard

CD of RC Design Spreadsheets released

CD of Spreadsheets for R.C. design as per B.I.S. Codes, developed by Mr. N. Prabhakar, Chartered Structural Engineer, Mumbai, has been released for sale.

It contains excel spreadsheets for various structural elements commonly encountered in a design office, viz. two-way and single-way slabs, T/L/rectangular beams, rectangular/circular columns subjected to uniaxial/biaxial moments including slenderness effect, effective length of columns, column footings, annular sections with and without openings, liquid-retaining structural elements, crack width calculation, ductile detailing and miscellaneous design data.

Ten cases can be designed at a time for most structural elements. The spreadsheets are presented in a tabular form, and the print-outs are in suitable format for record/submission purpose The results are more accurate than those by using charts and tables. It is fast, practical, and a useful tool for the design structural elements. For more details, please contact the author by E-mail: nprabhakar@sacharnet.in, Tel: (0250) 2463447 or visit website http://mumbai.sancharnet.in/rcdesign .

- Product press release

Cement process simulator-trainer at NCB, Hyderabad

An advanced simulator-trainer for imparting realistic hands-on training to cement industry professionals has been installed at the Hyderabad unit of National Council for Cement and Building Materials (NCB).

NCB Director General, Mr Shiban Raina inaugurated this unique PC based simulator-trainer at Hyderabad recently. He said that this state-of-the-art facility is one of the best available in the world in terms of versatility, as it covers all modern as well as old dry process technologies for cement manufacture.

A wide range of operational options offered by this simulator-trainer cover starting up of plant from cold condition, handling a variety of emergency situations and operational disturbances, each trainee operating one section of the plant or the entire plant, trainees working individually or in a group to operate a common cement plant etc.

The trainees use the same software-based monitoring and control system as the one used in the present day modern cement plants. Thus, a real plant control room like environment is created during the training cement plant personnel.

- NCB Press Release

ACI : Guide for Consolidation of Concrete

The American Concrete Institute has announced the availability of 309R-05 : Guide for Consolidation of Concrete.

This guide includes information on the mechanism of consolidation and gives recommendations on equipment, characteristics and procedures for various classes of construction. Recommendations on mixture proportioning and vibration equipment are also presented as well as procedures for floor slabs, pavements, precast products, structural low-density concrete, high density concrete and self-consolidating concrete. Additionally, the guide includes information on quality control and quality assurance.

For more details, please contact:.
American Concrete Institute
P.O. Box 9094
Farmington Hills,
MI 48333-9094, USA
Tel: +1-248-848-3800

- ACI press release

Details sought on Kashmir-Pir Panjal earthquake

The M7.6 Kashmir-Pir Panjal Earthquake on the morning of 8 October 2005 is the largest known earthquake in this particular region since 1555. Getting help to victims is no doubt a priority but of equal importance is what can be learnt from this earthquake, from a scientific perspective. By analysing the shaking effects (macroseismic effects) of an earthquake it is possible to simulate how future earthquakes can affect certain regions. It can also help to estimate with more accuracy the size of earthquakes which occurred before the invention of modern instruments.

Amateur Seismic Centre (ASC), Pune, is seeking information on this earthquake. So, if earthquake or any phenomena associated with it, for example, unusual oscillation of water bodies, change in colour of ground water etc, has been experienced, you may report the same to:

Stacey Martin
E-mail: stacey.martin@asc-india.org
Website: http://asc-india.org/menu/felt.htm