This Bengaluru-based organisation is building green homes from construction waste

India is facing massive waste management challenge, thanks to rapid urbanisation and growing population. In cities alone, about 62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste is generated every year.

Unfortunately, recyclable waste ends up in landfills along with other solid municipal waste outside the cities.  

Bringing a solution to this problem is Bengaluru-based Hasiru Dala. The organisation is using construction waste like soil, concrete, steel pillars, remains of demolished buildings, wood, and plastic to construct houses for the poor.

The project, called Hasiru Mane, which was launched last year, has got both financial and technical support from the Selco Foundation.

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Speaking to The Hindu, Nalini Shekar, Director of Hasiru Dala, said,

“We followed a unique methodology of design. We sat with each member of the household separately and asked them what they wanted in their new home. We have also tried to use alternative materials such as fly ash bricks that don’t require plastering or painting.”

At present, the organisation is constructing houses to people from low-income groups such as Indira, a ragpicker, and Devraj Gosai, a scrap dealer, under its Hasiru Mane project.

Speaking about his new house, Devraj said,

“We earlier lived in a mud-walled house with asbestos roofing. That house was in a dilapidated condition. We are grateful to Hasiru Dala for helping us construct a home that is not just beautiful, but also costs much lesser than what we expected.”

According to Nalini, Devaraj’s house is almost completed, whereas Indira’s house is still under construction.

Commenting about recycling construction materials to build houses, Karthik Natarajan, who is the project coordinator and architect, said, using recycled and alternative materials benefits as it doesn’t end up in landfills or get dumped in the open space. It reduces cost and is also ecologically sustainable.

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G Dasarathi, who has built his house from construction waste said,

“Using construction debris to rebuild was the best option since it is economically beneficial. The traditional way of building a house can cost up to Rs 40 lakh, and it dropped to Rs 17 lakh when I planned to build out of construction waste,” reports The Soft Copy.

In the coming days, the organisation is looking forward to take up smaller projects such as renovation and refurbishment of existing structures. Talking about the financial support,

Nalini said, “We have approached a few financial institutions seeking loans at low interest rates. However, they have not been forthcoming. By showcasing these two houses, we hope banks and other institutions may come forward to lend, and corporates may provide some funding to the project.”

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