The Explorer Islamabad: Journal of Social Sciences ISSN: 2411-0132(E), 2411-5487(P) Vol-2, Issue (1): 4-6 www.theexplorerpak.org
CHANGE IN INCOME AND ARCHITECTURAL TRANSFORMATION Jawaria Younis, Adnan Nasir Department of Anthropology, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi Corresponding Author: Jawaria Younis PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi javeriayounis@hotmail.com Abstract: Income is a decisive force, molding the architectural design. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of income on construction patterns in village “Ali Sojal”, Rawlakot, AJK. A study sample of 100 respondents was selected through convenient sampling, while data was analyzed through SPSS. The results showed that after the earth quake the usage of blocks and iron rod increased in building houses. After the earthquake the material and construction process changed but still people are mixing their traditional styles within the construction. The old and traditional buildings could not resist in the earthquake while new buildings could resist in the earthquake which are newly constructed after the earthquake.
Key Words: Income, Construction Process, Construction, Material Quality, Types of Houses INTRODUCTION Low income houses fail to maintain the quality of the building. Due to low income the resident can’t buy the good quality of material. Quality is a fundamental term in the construction industry. The material that has low quality can effect in delay in the projects of building and the requirement for rework, which can result in a significant financial loss (Zunguzane, et al. 2012). Low income houses have to face much challenges like poor designing, unsound houses that are not appropriate to the local climate, and houses that involve high maintenance costs. Income thus determines the quality type of the building (Goebel 2007; Glaeser and Gyourko 2003). The people who have low income level they select normal and low quality of material in the designing. Relative poverty is measured by the deduction in the expenditure of housing (Virginia 2014). The first question concerns the possible social benefits of mixed-income housing. Does it improve the life chances of low-income residents in any disaster (Schwartz and Tajbakhsh 1997). Economic theory suggests that the quantity of new construction is positively related to quantity and negatively related to the prices of inputs used to produce housing (Follain 1997).
Union Council Ali Sojal has a variety of houses totally pakka, mix, and somehow paka house. Income is important and very vital for the construction of houses. Income decides the pattern and design of the building. Income is major factor in construction of building industry. Before the earthquake majority of the people were poor they could not afford. Most of the residents of the area were living in the mud and kacha house that were traditional houses of the area. These houses were cheap as the material of mud house was available there in the surrounding. People construct this house with the help and support of each other they don’t have to spend money on the labor. Before the earthquake most of the houses were kachy and they collapsed. After getting the amount of aid from the government and their own money most of the people preferred to make teen building. The material of the teen is building is expensive as teen have to brought from others cities. The cost of the transportation has to bear to the owner of the building. After the earthquake most of the people prefer to make cemented walls and floors of teen house. After the earthquake most of the people are working abroad they send the remittances to their homes. Before the earthquake most of the people were working in their local area so their wages were low and they made mud house at that time. 4
In the earthquake most of the building were damaged badly or collapsed totally. The government gave the amount of aid as the compensation. The distribution of the amount was conducted by ERRA. Aid was given in three steps as the amount of 25,000 is given at initial stages without any survey. The second installment was given after the survey conducted by army. This amount was given to those house units who were damaged. The last amount of 75,000 was given to those people who have constructed their house according to ERRA construction plane. After the approval of the visiting team inhabitants got last payment. Some of the respondents are still living in the shelters as theirs houses were under construction due to lack of money. As the union council is situated in the remote area there is shortage of roads infrastructure so the people have to bear double expenses to get the material at its desired place. The houses which were near to roads they get material at normal prices while those who were away they brought their material on a donkey which becomes expensive (ERRA 2010). The people who were working abroad they could afford the expenses on the lanters and totally pakky house. Most of the people spent much amount of money on their house as the building where same as cities houses. Due to the fluency of the money they build their houses much beautiful and well decorated. The results showed that without money the one could not construct a house. But some of the respondents said that house construction needs the money at huge amount while their income is low so they take lawns to complete their building. In the construction of the pakka house the loads of sands, the bags of cement, and the loads of crush have to buy from the main city which becomes expensive (ERRA 2010). MATERIALS AND METHODS In the present study both qualitative and Quantitative methods have been used to explore the building construction process and material. The study was conducted at village Ali sojal Rawlakot AJK. The sample size was of 100 students selected randomly and information was collected through structured questionnaires. SPSS was used for data analysis. Percentile analyses is used for data interpretation
Table 1 Dependent Building preference
Frequency Kacha Pakka Mix
Do you think that kacha Yes houses are batter then No lanters (Concrete) or teen house? According to you the best Cheap quality of the assessable mud house is? climatic Income of the respondents. Daily
percentage 8 88 4 55 45
42 3 55 15
Monthly 85 INTERPRETATION The result s depicts that most of the respondent prefer to construct pakka house due to the fear factor of earthquake. 88% of the respondents said that they like paka house. Kacha house was liked and preferred by 8% of the respondent. Only 4% would like mix structure of the building. When the question was asked that do they think that kacha houses are batter then lanters or teen house? The results depicts that 55 % of the respondents said that due to climatic quality in the mud houses they are batter and 45% said that lanter and teen houses are better than kacha house. When the question was asked that do they think that kacha houses are batter then lanters or teen house, the results depicts that 55% of the respondents said that due to climatic quality in the mud houses they are batter and 45% said that lanters and teen houses are better than kacha house. The table shows the most of the respondents were earning monthly salaries. Rare amount of the respondents only 15% were working on daily wages. Table no 3.5 the results showed that the respondents have different income levels.2 % people earn only 5-8 thousand per month. Only 2 % of the respondents earn 8-15 thousand. The results showed that 16% of the respondents have the income of 15-25 thousand. The income of the 8% of the residents in the area is 25-35 thousand, While 5
72% of the residents earns more than 35 thousand. DISCUSSION The majority of the residents of the area were working abroad and they earn money and send their remittances. Most of them were working in the Middle East countries on the work visa, while the minority of the people are working on daily wages who earn a smaller amount. And only fewer respondents were government servants they were earning batter then those people who worked on daily wages. After the earthquake the amount of 25000 was given to give out the initial kick in the reconstruction plane in the economic dimension (EERI 2006) .The second installment was the amount of 50,000. Loss of building and structures caused the material and financial losses due to earthquake. Logically sound loss estimation methods for projecting direct damage to buildings from ground motion or earth movement cannot be useful in the earthquake of the Kashmir as the majority of the buildings are non-engineered and self-determined Earth Movement does not have effect on injuries and death directly. The majority of the injuries were the outcome of the collapse of the buildings. CONCLUSION Housing is a major component of wealth. Since house prices fluctuate considerably over time, it is important to understand how these fluctuations affect households’ consumption decisions (Campbell and Cocco 2007) the residents of the mud house said that if they had enough income to meet the expenses of pakki building they would prefer it . According to the respondent the best option to live comfortable in summers and winters is teen building comparatively and it is expensive. REFERENCES Campbell, John Y., and Joao F. Cocco 2007 How do House Prices Affect Consumption? Evidence from Micro Data. Journal of Monetary Economics 54(3): 591–621.
ERRA 2010 District profile ERRA. www.erra.pk/reports/kmc/muzaffaraba dprofile200907pdf ERRA 2010 Executive Summary www.erra.pk/reports/.../executivesum maryenglishversion-16012009.pdf Follain, James R. 1979 System the Price Elasticity of the Long-Run Supply of New Housing Construction. Land Economics 55(2): 190-199. Glaeser, Edward L., and Joseph Gyourko 2003 The Impact of Building Restrictions on Housing affordability. Economic policy review 9(2):21-39. Schwartz, Alex, and KianTajbakhsh 1997 Mixed-Income Housing: Unanswered Questions. US Department of Housing and Urban Development Stable 3(2): 71-92. Virginia, Maestri 2014 A Measure of Income Poverty Including Housing: Benefits and Limitations for Policy Making. Social Indicators Research. Volume 121, Issue 3, pp 675-696. Zunguzane, Nyameka, John Smallwood, and Fidelis Emuze 2012 Perceptions of the Quality of low-income Houses in South Africa:Defects and their Cause. Acta Structilia. Journal for the Physical and Development Sciences 19(1):19-38. Publication Date: Jan-31 -2016 © 2016 “The Explorer Islamabad” Journal of Social Sciences-Pakistan
EERI 2006 The Kashmir Earthquake of October 8, 2005. Impacts in Pakistan. http://www.ndma.gov.pk/new/aboutus /Earthquake2005.pdf
6