Lack of structure survey responsible for building collapse –

The Nigeria Association of Geodesy (NAG) Thursday identified lack of deformation surveys for monitoring of structures as the major factor responsible for frequent building collapse in Lagos state and other major cities in the country.

The association stated this in a communiqué issued at the end of its annual conference, theme “Geodetic Solutions to Multi-Disciplinary Problems”, held at Federal School of Surveying, Oyo.

The geodesists said a group of scientists and researchers that specialises in scientific areas of surveying, said the ” absence of deformation surveys for monitoring of structures such as high-rise buildings, bridges and dams is responsible for the frequent building collapse in Lagos and other cities.”

In the communique made available to journalists by its president, Professor Timothy Oluwadare Idowu, it pointed out that the only solution to reduce incessant building collapse across the country is to ensure speedy implementation and compliance to the federal government’s policy on deformation monitoring of infrastructures.

“Absence of deformation surveys for monitoring of structures such as high-rise buildings, bridges and dams is responsible for the frequent collapses of such structures in the country,” it said.

NAG added: “Inadequate monitoring and poor understanding of subterraneous activities particularly in areas of intensive mining results in poor estimation of the environmental impacts of these activities.

“Lack of accurate geoid model for the country is a major problem in the development of a common and unified reference system for the country. Insufficiency of gravity data in the country is a setback for geoid determination and modeling.

The need to aggressively pursue the provision of geodetic data such as deflection of the vertical components in the country was highlighted.”

The body stressed that there is the need for an acceptable format for generation and presentation of deformation monitoring data in order to reduce incessant building collapse across the country.

On the alarming rate of retreating Lake Chad is a major international boundary issue which has consequential conflict potentials in the country.

NAG stated that, ” the alarming rate of retreating Lake Chad is a major international boundary issue which has consequential conflict potentials for major socio- economic and national security concern.”

NAG stated further that there is a need to ensure speedy implementation and compliance to the federal government’s policy on deformation monitoring of infrastructures so as to reduce incessant cases of building collapse in the country.

“Speedy implementation and compliance to the federal government’s policy on deformation monitoring of infrastructures is an acceptable format for generation and presentation of deformation monitoring data that should also be developed. An acceptable format for generation and presentation of deformation monitoring data should also be developed.”