As T&T braces for natural disasters, programme leader of the Metallurgy Unit of the Caribbean Industrial Research Institute (Cariri) Marco Nunes says it is extremely important that a national building code be established before calamities strike.
Speaking at a forum hosted by Cariri’s Industrial Materials Department, titled Reinforcing our Concrete Structures, Challenges for Business, Nunes said: “We need to put in place basic specifications, especially in a country that is prone to hurricanes and earthquakes. Failing to put things in place for natural disasters will affect us greatly. The sooner we put it in place, the better.”
Asked what was causing delays, Nunes said: “I believe it is more economics than anything else. I believe all manufacturers are trying to keep prices low but at the same time that is impacting on the final quality of the construction.”
Team leader of Cariri’s Civil Engineering Unit, Lisa Ramoutar, also said she hoped that a national building code could be established soon.
“There is some commitment to the establishment of the Small Business Code (SBC). We need to give it priority, especially since we never had any major earthquakes or hurricanes. Haiti has understood the importance of having it and we need to establish and enforce a national code here,” she said.
Ramoutar said some recent buildings were constructed using international building codes but many older buildings may not have been built according to those standards.
Cariri systems analyst Hayden Charles, who chaired the proceedings, said if proper standard materials are not used in buildings and other civil structures, the losses due to natural calamities may be enormous both in terms of human lives and property.
“We have realized, based on experience and feedback from previous seminars, that there is great need for education and advocacy in this area and we at Cariri would like to take up the mantle and be part of the process of positive change,” Charles said.
“As a certified and accredited testing facility, it is vital that we take the lead in bringing these key quality issues to the forefront.”
However, interim president of the Trinidad Chapter of the International Code Council (ICC) and first chairman of the National Building Code Committee Shyankaran Lalla, who has been calling for a building code for the past five years, said while he applauded Cariri’s initiative, there is a need for “open and transparent discussions involving all stakeholders.”
“With regard to Las Alturas, the fundamental problem was the non adherence to building codes. If government is serious about preventing a recurrence then they should move forward and adopt the ICC building codes,” Lalla said.