CORROSION OF IN JAIN SUNDERBANS

What is corrosion ?

Corrosion is defined as the destruction ( or deterioration) of materials due to

chemical ( or electro chemical reaction) with the environment and also the loss of steel due to
formation of rust. The steel which is extracted from iron ores by adding energy is instable and
always will try to react with oxygen in air , form oxides ( rust ) and finally reach its original
form.

To prevent this steel from reacting with oxygen , the steel is placed in concrete with
adequate cover in columns with a cover of say 40 mm and with impermeable rich cement
concrete. ( cement content >360 kg/cubic metre & Less water-cement ratio < 0.4 )

What happened in Sunderbans ?

Inspection on 12-11-2019 reveals that columns , beams & slab in & around the
sunken bathroom portions, service area & kitchen outlets are severely affected & being
affected. There is no such corrosion in the other columns.

Then whom to blame ?

The blame is on the reluctance of the owners of the flats to arrest the seepage of
the bath rooms. The owners think the water is dripping on the flat right below them. But it is
corroding the bars embedded in the concrete of their own slab.

Once the bars are corroded, the concrete will spall & begin to fall on the residents
below leading to casualties.( The owners may even be tried & sentenced in the court on the
charge of murder ! )

The seepage arrest in a bath room may cost around Rs. 4000 to 5000 . Are we not
doing car service ? Like that we have to maintain our flats.

Other wise , its life period will be reduced. ( By the time you finish your EMI , the flat will be
no more ; I a m not exaggerating. Just see the bath room fittings & the extent of corrosion in
them. Then imagine as to what extent the bars in our own bathroom would have been
corroded by the same water .)

The water from bathrooms has entered into the beams & into the columns
corroding the bars all the way. So , seepage is not seepage alone . It is killing our buildings.
The first act begins at our home doing the seepage arrest.