News: Why Chintels Paradisos Tower H is deemed unsafe by IIT-Delhi-26-07-2023
Extensive corrosion due to chloride in steel reinforcements and poor quality of concrete are the reasons why tower H of Chintels Paradiso can’t be renovated and is unsafe for living, IITDelhi experts concluded in their structural audit report
Tower H was the fifth and the latest building to be declared unsafe at the society, where a vertical cave-in at tower D killed two women in February 2022. The same reason – excessive chloride – was also found in the other four towers (D, E, F and G) of the Sector 109 apartment complex declared unsafe by the same expert team earlier.
Professors S Bishnoi, DR Sahoo and V Matsagar of the civil engineering department at IIT-Delhi had submitted their audit report to the Gurgaon district town planner’s office last week. The report said they measured “high chloride content in most of the concrete used in the structure”.
“Also, it can be seen that the corrosion is active throughout a large part of the structure and the rate of corrosion is high,” it said
The audit indicates that there was chloride infiltration in the concrete at the time of construction.
“Due to the widespread presence of chlorides in the structure and the lack of chlorides in the air to which the buildings are exposed, it can be deduced that the chlorides were present in the concrete at the time of its production. Although the source of these chlorides is difficult to ascertain, water and sand are the most common source of chlorides in concrete,” the report said
The experts also noted that the need for frequent repairs, as was told to them by the residents of the tower, appears to have been caused by chloride corrosion of the steel reinforcements.“A poor quality of concrete also played a role in rapid deterioration. Given the high chloride content in the concrete almost throughout the structure, a repair of these structures for safe usage is not technically and economically feasible. In the current condition, due to the rapid corrosion of reinforcement due to the presence of chlorides, the structure is not safe for habitation,” the report read.
In June, TOI had reported that IIT-Delhi experts, in another audit carried out at Godrej Summit society, have cautioned about the presence of chloride in water in the area along the Dwarka Expressway. The presence of chlorides could have a detrimental effect on concrete buildings in the area, they had said.
Apart from D, E, F, G and H towers, tower A is showing signs of deterioration and needs to be audited annually. Towers B and C at Chintels Paradiso are safe for habitation for now, and the audit report of tower J is pending.
The society’s developer has separately brought in the Central Building Research Institute (CBRI) to conduct another structural audit of the towers. Chintels India had earlier said it was waiting for the CBRI report on the towers declared unsafe by the IIT-Delhi team
Similar to the other affected towers, a Chintels India spokesperson said on Tuesday it will also give homebuyers of tower H the option of compensation by paying them Rs 6,500/sqft and refunding the stamp duty along with the cost of interiors renovated in the flats
