Damage done to OU is more than what meets the eye

Spread over an area of one lakh sqft, the campus was created more than 100 years ago and the Arts College was constructed during the Nizam's rule around 80 years ago using limestone. With no one to take care, it has been lying in a dilapidated condition. The roof is badly damaged and when it rains the water seeps into the classrooms. Further, the walls, the electrical fittings, and the furniture are in bad shape.

But after more than two decades, lakhs of saplings have been planted on the campus as a part of the Telangana Haritha Haram project. LED lights at a cost of Rs 8 lakh have been installed on the campus. Around Rs 3 crores have been allocated for the repairs of the Arts College building.

However, the damage is much more than what meets the eye. In May 2019, a team comprising heritage experts visited the Arts college. The visit was to analyse the extent of water seepage and related material and structural deterioration of the institution. The team comprised Anuradha Reddy, Er. Ar. S.P. Anchuri, Prof. Ar. Praveen and 15 students of the Architecture and Civil Engineering stream.

The extent of damage

Due to the numerous cracks developed in the lime terracing, water has been penetrating through these cracks to the RCC slab below. The team found that due to the shrinkage of the cement mortar, lots of cracks have formed on the plaster of the parapet walls.

During the inspection, the team was found that rainwater had seeped through the cracks into the bricks and had slowly come down to the RCC slab. Once inside the slab, the water is capable of corroding the reinforcement and weakening the entire structure itself.

It was observed that at some places water drips from the ceiling leaving ugly patches of dampness on the ceiling and the walls where the paint has started to peel off. To avoid water leakage, tar felting was done on the OU Art college terrace.

But due to weathering, the tar cracked within a couple of years and the water penetrated through the cracks again. The work done earlier was of good quality but the life of the material has gone.

"The terrace should be made waterproof. There are numerous waterproofing systems available today and they are to be undertaken keeping in mind the environment conditions such as diurnal and seasonal temperature variations. A building is subject to expansion and contraction and this has consequences," said Anuradha Reddy, INTACH (Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage) convenor of the Hyderabad chapter.