SEVAI Rural Housing Technology centre promotes affordable shelters

Pasumai Illam promoted by SEVAI in Sirugamani

Shelter issue in India is large due to low income and with continuous rise in cost of construction at all levels. In Pasumai Illam, Tamilnadu Government is constructing several homes for poor and needy. It has several features for green house effect.SEVAI a Trichy based NGO comes out as a rural level intervention of cost effective housing technology project with the aims of training of artisans in affordable building technology, production of construction materials and construction and guidance for affordable shelter construction with the saving of 20% to 30% over conventional cost. SEVAI Determines the use of green elements in an affordable housing project as an alternative to conventional construction methods, Explores ways to go green which deliver both sustainability and cost-effective construction and apply the latest techniques in water conservation and rain water harvesting. It is also noted that Identifying opportunities to effectively utilise recycled and bio-degradable materials in the affordable housing segment.SEVAI identified certain difficulties in shelter construction such as the access to affordable building materials, the awareness level of alternative and sustainable options. The existing construction practices using conventional options, lead to pretentious housing and misuse of scarce and costly materials creating a larger environmental impact in terms of depletion of natural resources like top fertile soil and trees etc. The SEVAI Rural Housing Technology centre has enabled and empowered poor by evolving appropriate housing delivery system with people's participation, by using environment-friendly solutions and by developing the right level of skills among the local artisans. There is an urgent need is felt to propagate and popularise cost effective options in housing initiatives and introduce appropriate interventions to close the gap between availability of these technology options and applications to the same. -Govin