Proceedings of National Conference on Recent Advances in Civil

Recent
Advances
in Civil Engineering (RACE 2016)
Engineering (RACE2016),
SVNIT,
Surat, India.
Rehabilitation through
Holistic
Approach:
A
Study
for Bhuj City after Earthquake
5 6 March 2016

Rehabilitation through Strategic Approach: A Study for Bhuj City after Earthquake
Desai Harsh B.1, Chauhan Krupesh A.2

Abstract: After the earthquake measuring 6.9 on Richter scale on January 26, 2001, Bhuj walled
city was one of the most affected cities. But, after a strategic approach to rehabilitation inclusive
of physical, social, economic, communal, urban planning and governance was initiated, which
turned Bhuj in a model city with new avenues of development. The city of Bhuj has been
redefined by the process of rehabilitation, where city has reborn with collective efforts of the
government in terms of development plan and town planning schemes, NGOs in term of funding
relocation and increasing awareness in people of Bhuj for active participation in redefining Bhuj
city and most importantly people of Bhuj themselves in terms of effective and active
participation. This study represents a study of Bhuj citys in situ rehabilitation approach and
relocation strategy and the effectiveness of such attempts. Also the various aspects of revamping
the structure of Bhuj development is discussed, which can be considered as a model for
rehabilitation after disasters.
Keywords: Bhuj, Earthquake, Rehabilitation, Urban planning, Governance, Community
Planning
1. INTRODUCTION
Bhuj is a city and headquarter in Kutch district which is the largest district in India. As per 2011
census of India population is 299,983. Around 70 % of total population is rural and only 30% is
urban population. Bhuj has an average elevation of 110 meters (360 feet). Bhuj is included in
zone -V of earthquake prone areas and is Vulnerable to Cyclone, Drought and Industrial disasters.
On the eastern side of the town is a hill known as Bhujiyo Dungar, on which there is Bhujia Fort,
that separates Bhuj city and Madhapar town. It has one big lake named Hamirsar and several
small lakes. The old city was surrounded by the fort wall which had five gates and a window;
Mahadev, Patvadi, Sirpat, Bhidval and Vaniyavad; and one small gate known as Chhathi Bari.
Bhuj is a famous for handicraft work like bandhni (dying by tying) and leatherwork.
Bhuj was one of the most affected city in the district in the measuring 6.9 on Richter scale on
January 26, 2001; almost half of the walled city was considerably damaged. About 12,221 lives
were lost and 14,383 were injured due to the disaster.

1 Student, M Tech - Urban Planning, Department of Civil Engineering, S.V. National Indian Institute of
Technology, Surat, 395007, India, Email: harsh_desai24@yahoo.in
2 Associate Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, S.V. National Indian Institute of Technology, Surat,
395007, India, Email: kac@ced.svnit.ac.in

Recent Advances in Civil Engineering (RACE 2016)

Rehabilitation through Holistic Approach: A Study for Bhuj City after Earthquake

Fig. 1. Location of Bhuj in India.

Apart from casualties 1,19,909 houses collapsed and 2,31,081 houses were partially damaged.
Most of them in the walled city area, as buildings constructed of stone and mud collapsed on
extremely narrow streets. The exacerbation of poor building regulations and ineffective street
system caused congestion in the city. The famous fort wall was either fallen down or been
demolished, due to earthquake. Many historic buildings were damaged and had to be demolished
during the rubble removal, which made it hard to reclaim the character of Bhuj city.
2. IMAPCT OF 2001 EARTHQUAKE ON BHUJ
Local Governance
Bhuj Municipality was almost paralyzed during the earthquake. Many buildings were damaged
and destroyed and several records were lost. Due to staff casualties and injuries, the authority
lacked the internal capacity to take the lead role in relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction
activities. But the diverse communal groups compromised for the principle greater good. These
caste-based and special interest groups contributed significantly to recovery by leading localized
relief and rehabilitation activities for Bhuj City.
Infrastructure
Public amenities such as schools, hospitals, community halls, town halls, markets, libraries,
colleges, recreational and religious buildings were badly damaged. The facilities that did survive
were quickly made available to the city by community groups. These places were the first avenue
for people requiring shelter. It describes the high value in preparing the strategy for the future
provision of public buildings designed to withstand disasters.
Physical networks such as water supply, drainage in the walled city were adversely affected,
Outside the walled city also important facilities and infrastructure were damaged. But due to

Recent Advances in Civil Engineering (RACE 2016)

Rehabilitation through Holistic Approach: A Study for Bhuj City after Earthquake

small extent of damage, services were quickly restored. The infrastructure in the walled city was
not designed to withstand this extent of impact, so the restoration or repair of the existing
infrastructure was beyond the possibilities.

Urban Planning and Development Regulation

There was a clear absence of regulatory framework or authority for development control in Bhuj
at the time of earthquake. The issue of rehabilitation and reconstruction was a complex issue,
hence the state government created Bhuj Area Development Authority (BHADA) to respond to
the critical challenge of restoration of Bhuj. The development plan for Bhuj was prepared twentyfive years earlier. It was outdated, and it did not reflect the citys present-day scenario. the old
plan would need to be completely reworked and reproduced to analyze the Citys current and
future needs and a stricter implementation and regulation; which was completely missing in the
present scenario of the city. The extent of damage was also evidence of not well enforced
regulations and peoples disregard for any such existing rules. The earthquake which had shaken
the whole city gave the state government a unique opportunity to rethink the existing planning,
regulatory and development mechanisms in an innovative context.
3. MITIGATION AND RECONSTRUCTION OF BHUJ
To mitigate the impacts earthquake, the state government and local authority devised a set of
principles and policy. The following shows the highlights of the same.

To reestablish the Bhuj city better, two options were provided to people; i) Relocation at
one of four rehabilitation site and ii) In situ Reconstruction
To revamp the existing infrastructure in the walled city by repairing and/or rebuilding to
be efficient against such disaster.
To enforce regulatory norms strictly to improve quality of building construction.
To encourage people in process of planning, decision making so that they can project
their needs and concerns, and also understand the requirements of reconstruction and
rehabilitation and build trust between people and authorities.

Restructure of Physical Infrastructure, Urban Planning and Governance

After the earthquake, the rescue and rehabilitation team realized that there were no
detailed maps of walled city as well as overall area of Kutch. The maps available with the
City Survey Department were 30 years old and had no more information other than
property numbers. With the help of US-Asia Environmental Partnership (USAEP)
detailed and accurate Base Maps for Bhuj were prepared.
The newly constructed Bhuj Area Development Authority Initiated Macro planning in
terms of Development Plan and Micro Planning in terms of Town Planning Schemes.
A series of public consultation exercises before and after the preparation of a
conceptual development plan by means of meetings; group discussions and workshops

Recent Advances in Civil Engineering (RACE 2016)

Rehabilitation through Holistic Approach: A Study for Bhuj City after Earthquake

from all Bhuj City. Household and industrial surveys were also carried out in the same
regard.
To control and manage the growth of the city, the government package was
announced to carry out town planning to revise the development control
regulations would be revised. The new development plan was prepared in less
than a year time and the first ever town planning approach of Town Planning
Schemes in Gamtal area was envisaged in Bhuj city to create a positive
reconstruction and rehabilitation process. The Development plan of Bhuj city
created in the year 2001 is shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 2. Development Plan of Bhuj,2001 presented in BHADA office.

The development plan was prepared having the following points in context.
a) Relocation and Rehabilitation
b) Economic Development
c) Land Development Land Use Zoning and Development Control Regulations
d) Road Network and Transportation
e) Physical Infrastructure
f) Social Infrastructure
g) Open Spaces, Water Bodies and Environment
h) Heritage Conservation
i) Solid Waste Management
j) Informal Sector
k) Implementation Strategy

In case of in situ reconstruction, the intensity of development was reduced by restriction

on building height and FSI, to encourage horizontal expansion of the city in future
development. The Development control regulations states the maximum height of any
building in the walled city must not exceed 7.5 m from the ground level implying only
Ground floor + 1 floor allowed in the walled city. Floor space index in fixed at 1.2 in

Recent Advances in Civil Engineering (RACE 2016)

Rehabilitation through Holistic Approach: A Study for Bhuj City after Earthquake

whole jurisdiction of BHADA.

The Gamtal (Old city) area was taken under TP scheme after the devastating earthquake.
Various planning initiatives such as widening of existing roads, new roads, linkages with
outskirt region, reconstitution of haphazard plots, Relocation and resettlement under
implementation were considered in these TP Schemes. The planning was considered to be
fastest in Gujarat. It was the first ever experiment with urban renewal of the entire
Gamtal. The schemes were implemented as soon as they were prepared without any delay
to keep the rehabilitation in motion. Total of 8 Town Planning Schemes in total area of
128.13 Ha were prepared and implemented within a short time in the walled city area of
Bhuj. The total no of original plots was 10229; which were pooled and readjusted in TP
schemes in to 7759.

11

7
1

EXISTING BUILDINGS

EXISTING MARKET STREETS

PROPOSED 12 Mts WIDE ROAD

EXISTING CITYLEVEL PRECINCTS

PROPOSED PARKING AREA

PROPOSED 9 Mts WIDE ROAD

4
2

5
3

Fig. 3 Planning approach and outline of 8 TP schemes in the walled city

12

Town Planning schemes included a humanitarian approach as it also included provisions

for tenants and also for those who were having unauthorized settlements. TP schemes
were in form of permanent planning to sustain future growth of the city. Efforts to
transplant or save trees getting affected in road widening and afforestation planned in the
relocation sites were also initiated as Green Approach in TP schemes.

In walled city plot sizes varied from a fraction of a square meter to several thousand
square meters. So a uniform deduction policy was not possible. Hence the following
mechanism was used in deduction of plots area in TP scheme implementation.

10

Recent Advances in Civil Engineering (RACE 2016)

Rehabilitation through Holistic Approach: A Study for Bhuj City after Earthquake

Table 1 Land Deduction

Land owners were given option either to relocate or reconstruct within TP schemes.
Hence final plots are not allotted to the owners eligible for relocation.
After the preparation and approval of the development plan and TP schemes, the detailed
infrastructure plans were prepared for the inside and outside for the walled city of Bhuj.
BHADA initiated the land acquisition process for major road alignments and other
facilities. The construction of infrastructure networks i.e. road, water supply and drainage
was carried out in phases.
Rehabilitation was also concentrated on public amenities in terms of social and economic
infrastructure such as hospitals, town hall, shopping facilities, and educational buildings.
Under the Prime ministers relief fund special projects specialized hospitals, educational
institutes were also established. The new avenues for different public amenities were also
explored.
For people with either residential or commercial preferences, who wanted to relocate
from the walled city, a package was offered in which plots at specific relocation/
rehabilitation sites. People who were affected by the Town Planning proposals were also
offered such relocation. The relocation sites were made available on vacant government
lands. The relocation of interested people was based on different approached such as
draws or community building i.e. people of different communities were offered same
relocation sites and same area to keep the original walled city character and unity intact.
Special provisions were made for tenants and unauthorized settlements.
Also government properties inside the walled city were also made available for the
redevelopment of the walled city.

4. COMMUNITY PARTICIPATION
Immediately after the earthquake many relief camps were established. Various activities and
experiments were carried out as initiatives to include participation of public and planning
process. Various elements of community participated in reconstruction and rehabilitation of Bhuj
city. It included community groups, representatives of trade and industry, womens groups and
NGOs. These initiative also participated in development plan preparation and TP schemes
implementation to increase the collective public participation. Following table shows few of
many organizations that participated in rehabilitation process.

Recent Advances in Civil Engineering (RACE 2016)

Rehabilitation through Holistic Approach: A Study for Bhuj City after Earthquake

Table 2 Participation of various NGOs and organizations in rehabilitation

5. RELOCATION SITES
The people affected by the earthquake and interested in relocating from walled city were given
four relocation sites to relocate their livelihood. Namely RTO, MUNDRA, RAWALWADI, and
GIDC. All basic infrastructural facilities like water supply, sewerage, road, electricity etc. were
provided in the relocation sites. Relocation sites were also very well planned with the strict
implementation of GDCR prepared by BHADA. Plots of 100 sq.m to 200 sq. m were offered to
people for relocation based on their land ownership in the walled city before relocating. The
humanetarian approach here was people with even less than 100 sq. m area or tenants and
unauthorized settelements were also provided with a minimum 100 sq.m of land with transaction
of land rates proposed by the government. The relocation plots were given by the strict definition
of 1 plot for 1 family. This approach also resolved family land conflicts of land ownership which
were in the walled city. These relocation sites were also given reserved land for health centres,
primary school, open spaces, commercial centres, etc. Land was also provided to those with
shops damaged in walled city of Bhuj.Government grants were also provided in construction of
houses in relocation land and community groups, various organizations and NGOs also provided
investement for relocation.
For the purpose of this study RTO rehabilitation site was visited and discussions regarding the
relocation and satisfaction levels were carried out.
RTO relocation site is area of total 79 Hectares area and located at the feet of Bhujio Fort in the
east of Bhuj city. It is well connected with Gandhinagar Highway and Gandhidham, the most
industrialized city of the district. In this RTO relocation site total 705 residential plots are allotted
and 619 commercial shops are allotted. Well connected road network of 7.25 km is provided with
8.94 km long water supply network and 9.26 km long sewerage network. Out of all residential
units BAPS NGO constructed 45 units. The plots were allotted the families those lived together
as a community in the walled city. Also a gathering place present in the walled city was
replicated in terms of a community hall in RTO relocation site. This represents the political will
and authoritys efforts to restore which was lost. The following Fig. 4 shows the drawing of RTO
relocation site and discussion with the owner of relocated land. During the discussion with the
recipients of the relocation plots it was evident that the people were very much satisfied with the

Recent Advances in Civil Engineering (RACE 2016)

Rehabilitation through Holistic Approach: A Study for Bhuj City after Earthquake

relocation sites and level of services. The only element that was missed by the relocates was that
the sense of original character of walled city and sentimental comradery among the community.

12.49

70.98

54.54

R4.5

10.51

R4.5

Fig. 4. RTO relocation site drawing during BHADA visit and discussion with relocated.
6. CONCLUSIONS
This study shows the rehabilitation approach of Bhuj city after the devastating earthquake of
2001. It describes how the city that was severely damaged by earthquake was rejuvenated by the
strategic and collective contribution of Government, Public participation, global and national
organizations by means of effective steps of rescue, problem identification, preplanning and
restructuring the existing systems. It also shows the community planning and drastic corrective
measures taken in the event of disaster effectively within short time frame. Bhuj city
reestablished and redefined by its own sense of rehabilitation. This strategic approach can be
replicated at global level by the lessons learned in case of disaster as a modal approach.
7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We express sincere gratitude Mr Hiral Doriwala and Bhuj Area Development Authority for their
cooperation and guidance during the visit of Bhuj for study.
8. REFERENCES
Balachandran, B.R. Case Study: Integration of Disaster Mitigation into Planning and Financing
Urban Infrastructure after an Earthquake. The Reconstruction of Bhuj.
Sheth Alpa, Jain Sudhir K., V. Thiruppugazh. Earthquake Capacity Building and Risk Reduction
Measures in Gujarat Post Bhuj 2001 Earthquake, 13th World Conference on Earthquake
Engineering, Vancouver, B.C., Canada. August 1-6, 2004 Paper No. 2018.
Jain Sudhir K., Implications of 2001 Bhuj Earthquake for Seismic Risk Reduction In India, 13th
World Conference on Earthquake Engineering Vancouver, B.C., Canada August 1-6, 2004
Paper No. 3244.