Raising the height of the foundation of buildings, without any damage to the basic structure with the help of Jacks, the mechanical lifting devices, is a new trend in Upper Kuttanadu and other places where there is threat of flood. Buildings are simply lifted, just like a car or a heavy vehicle is lifted.The entire Upper Kuttanad area faces threat of floods from June to November every year. Even a heavy rain can submerge some area.
“Blocking of natural streams is one reason for the floods. Unscientific road construction is another reason for water-logging in some areas. w“So a number of houses need to be raised above their current foundation level. Rich people can destroy their building and construct a new building after filling their land with soil. But in the case of common people they cannot afford the cost of destruction of building and reconstruction”, an Upper Kuttanadu native Eppen Kuruvila said.
One year back, a Haryana based Construction Company named Mamchand and Sons Company lifted a house at Mepral in Upper Kuttanadu. After the completion of this work they got a number of orders from the same area.
Many houses were constructed without any safety measures like belt. However, such building can also be lifted without much difficulty. Harkesh Kumar Chauhan, who had invented this technology of house lifting, established Mamchand and Sons Company in 1991 in Haryana. They have lifted the foundation of a number of multi storied buildings in India for various reasons.
“We place more than 150 lifting devices between the walls and the foundation of a single storied building and they raise the building step by step. Special bricks under specific measurement are used to strengthen the buildings after raising. The mechanism is very useful for protecting old buildings,” the company sources said.
The foundation of the Sree Narayana Guru Temple, Which was constructed 30 years ago by SNDP Yogam at Nedumpram in Upper Kuttanad, was also lifted due to water-logging problems on its premises.