A closer look at the Yangon buildings and construction industry

...

A closer look at the Yangon buildings and construction industry

Myanmar Times, 01 Oct 2018

URL: https://www.mmtimes.com/news/closer-look-yangon-buildings-and-construction-industry.html
The structural integrity of residential and commercial buildings is constantly in focus due to the frequent earthquakes in Yangon and the Yangon City Devleopment Committee is conducting regular inspections of the buildings in order to ensure their strength.

Daw Hnin Ei Win, head of the Buildings Engineering section in YCDC, said the department strictly enforces the regulations specified in the building code and violators are penalised.

She said, for new construction projects, the Buildings Engineering section sees to it that all the necessary permits have been secured and the materials used meet the correct specifications.

Construction permits are approved only when detailed engineering calculations are included, Daw Hnin Ei Win said.

“During the actual construction, we also inspect whether the regulations are being followed. If violations are being committed, the construction permit is revoked,” she said, adding that the section works to ensure no one suffers as a result of substandard construction work or materials.

“To ensure the quality of buildings, engineers certified by Engineering Council are the only ones permitted to supervise the construction, “Daw Hnin Ei Win said.

At present there are about 600 applications for construction permits in the city, according to YCDC’s records.

Daw Hnin Ei Win said the city is regularly updating its construction rules and regulations with technical assistance from the World Bank.

U Zarni Aung, an architect, said that in addition to the maintenance of old buildings, new buildings should be regulated to ensure responsibility and accountability.

“If there are some faults found in a building, the person who constructed the building should be held responsible and accountable. At present this is not the case. If something happens the responsibility is always passed to ‘others’,” said U Zarni Aung.

A senior official of the Myanmar Earthquake Committee, which oversees efforts to ensure preparedness and resilience during earthquakes, said that the country’s building code needs to be updated to incorporate the latest technologies.

Building codes have been updated but some additions are still required, said Myanmar Earthquake Committee’s vice chair U Saw Htwe Zaw.

“In our nation, there are types of buildings that are not included in the Building Code, such as those constructed with bamboo and wood. Research must be conducted on how to construct these kinds of buildings so that they can withstand earthquakes and improvements must be made to such existing buildings,” he said.

When a new development plan was approved after 1988, there was lack of skilled people in the country and the durability and quality of buildings constructed during that time was weak, U Saw Htwe Zaw said. He urges that buildings built during that period be thoroughly inspected.

He said priority must be given to structures used by many people, such as schools and hospitals.

U Zarni Aung said everybody involved in the construction of buildings, from financiers to the actual contractors, have the responsibility to ensure the quality and safety of their projects. But, he added, it is still the government which has the primary responsibility since it is the one that makes rules and regulations.

“Individual performance cannot make the entire construction sector safe and the quality good. When officials in different levels do not perform well, it affects the overall result. Therefore, all are responsible for it,” he said.

U Myo Myint, general secretary of the Myanmar Construction Entrepreneurs Association, points out the shortage of skilled workers in the construction industry.

“Only if the workers are skilful will the products be good,” he said.

“Just being able to hold a hammer or use a saw can’t produce a good basic worker; they need to know skills related to their work and how to work systematically.”

He added that, aside from skilled workers, the provider of the construction materials, including the importers, play an important role as well, noting that they need to supply quality products at reasonable prices.

To improve the country’s construction industry, the government should seek the advice of experts in different fields within the construction sector and also foreign experts, said Architect U Zarni Aung.

The country’s economy needs a reliable construction industry, which can build good quality apartments, bridges, roads and other infrastructure in order to keep up with the demand for economic growth, said U Zarni Aung.