Both the national government and the state government must get involved in the promotion, production and popularization of low-cost, locally available building materials. Also, the Government needs to give renewed emphasis towards setting up building materials manufacturing industries and distribution centers in all the major cities.
Till recent times the state government did not give so much importance to the manufacture and sale of high quality building materials. In fact in the 1960’s such an industry was practically unheard of. A vast majority of the people in those times lived in thatched houses. The walls of these houses were made up of raw bricks made from hard soil that is readily available in the surroundings. Wood for doors and windows was made available by cutting down the trees in the neighborhood. Thus few people actually had to buy the necessary building materials from outside sources.
In modern times, the construction and construction methodology of houses in Kerala has undergone a sea change. Today constructing and living in a thatched house is totally out of fashion. Also such houses cost much to build. Proper maintenance of such houses is a Herculean task. In the case of thatched houses, such houses will have to be provided with new roofing almost on an annual basis and skilled laborers who are experienced in doing this work are now becoming increasingly scarce.
The proliferation of the high cost concrete structures has increased the demand for building materials like cement, steel, sand and other materials. Today Kerala is importing more than 80% of its cement requirements from other states and even from other parts of the globe. Even though Malabar Cements has been able to adhere to certain standards, it is still not able to supply even a fraction of the huge demand for cement in the Kerala market. Steel used in construction sites is very costly in the state since the entire consignment is imported from other destinations. Almost all the rivers in Kerala are facing environmental problems due to the mindless unscientific sand mining operations going on in spite of persistent efforts to curb it. Thus it is now time for the government to step in and affect a change.
Till recent times the state government did not give so much importance to the manufacture and sale of high quality building materials. In fact in the 1960’s such an industry was practically unheard of. A vast majority of the people in those times lived in thatched houses. The walls of these houses were made up of raw bricks made from hard soil that is readily available in the surroundings. Wood for doors and windows was made available by cutting down the trees in the neighborhood. Thus few people actually had to buy the necessary building materials from outside sources.
In modern times, the construction and construction methodology of houses in Kerala has undergone a sea change. Today constructing and living in a thatched house is totally out of fashion. Also such houses cost much to build. Proper maintenance of such houses is a Herculean task. In the case of thatched houses, such houses will have to be provided with new roofing almost on an annual basis and skilled laborers who are experienced in doing this work are now becoming increasingly scarce.
The proliferation of the high cost concrete structures has increased the demand for building materials like cement, steel, sand and other materials. Today Kerala is importing more than 80% of its cement requirements from other states and even from other parts of the globe. Even though Malabar Cements has been able to adhere to certain standards, it is still not able to supply even a fraction of the huge demand for cement in the Kerala market. Steel used in construction sites is very costly in the state since the entire consignment is imported from other destinations. Almost all the rivers in Kerala are facing environmental problems due to the mindless unscientific sand mining operations going on in spite of persistent efforts to curb it. Thus it is now time for the government to step in and affect a change.