ALAPPUZHA: One of the country’s lowest-lying regions, Kuttanad has more than 2 lakh people living below sea level. Every year, floods force residents to leave their homes.
The 2018 deluge was particularly severe, with nearly 90% of the population evacuated as floodwaters rose 8-10 ft.
The calamity forced people of the region to explore alternative ways of constructing houses, including those on raised pillars, to escape future deluges. Among the other building methods devised was the floating house. Varun Ramakrishnan of Cheriyamadathil, Mankombu, was the first to adopt the idea.
Now, his 1,120 sqft house, having two attached bedrooms and other facilities, is nearly 90% complete. And the technology has been patented by M R Narayanan, owner of Transbuild Dwelling.
According to Varun, residents of Kuttanad leave their homes during floods. “As a solution to this displacement, I decided to construct a floating house. Narayanan is helping me achieve my dream. It has been a success so far,” he said.
This is the first floating house in the state, said Narayanan, who is also from Mankombu. “We have constructed floating villas for resorts and floating platforms for a solar project in Banasurasagar, Wayanad. We promise long durability for houses built using this method,” he said.
The foundation is constructed with a hollow base using ferrocement and thermocol. After levelling the land, a plastic sheet is laid out and a 1.2-m-high foundation is built on it.
The walls are also constructed using thermocol and ferrocement, while latex concrete is used for the roof to reduce weight.
The foundation comprises 110 vacuum compartments, enabling the platform to float when water levels rise. To prevent it from sliding, the house is anchored to concrete pillars, allowing it to move only vertically.
‘Construction cost approx Rs 3,000-3,500 per sq ft’
“The construction cost is approximately Rs 3,000-3,500 per sqft. Daytime temperatures inside the house remain around 10 degrees Celsius lower than outside due to the use of heat-resistant thermocol, project supervisor P A Martin said. “Varun’s 1,120 sqft house weighs around 80 tonnes, including the 30-tonne foundation. The house will not sink even if one of the foundation compartments is damaged. Each section is separated by walls and is repairable. Only extreme pressure can destroy a compartment, which can be easily refilled,” Martin said.