Flood-resistant housing
Two-foot high concrete plinth will prevent a house being washed away.
Jute panels that cost very little yet are quick and easy to replace.
 | Jute panels make resiliant walls that cost very little yet are quick and easy to replace. Treated bamboo poles on concrete bases are strengthened with metal tie rods to hold the wall firm and safe. For all the walls in ten houses, the materials cost £62. |
 | A plinth raises a house up. Made from soil, a little cement and some pieces of stone and brick - strong and high enough to last through repeated floods, unlike the traditionalearthen floors that simply wash away. £31 pays for the casting and finishing for two floors, as well as the small amount of cement used. |
 | Animals are considered in the plans too. Crucial to the family's welfare, poultry and livestock have a separate area in the improved houses, to improve hygiene - and the henhouse can be picked up and carried to safety, out of the way of the floodwater. |
 | Bracings and fastenings bind the walls firmly to the house 'skeleton' through a network of holes and notches - locally called a 'clam system' - and the whole building can stay standing through the strongest of winds and rain. Nuts and bolts, screws, ties and nails for 20 houses come to just £120. |
 | Water-thirsty plants are set around the house, such as bamboo, banana, hogla and kolmi - they 'drink up' flood water and hold onto the soil, helping the whole homestead stay intact. Most plants can be found growing wild locally, but a little people power is needed to get them in place. |
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