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Mud &VIlage Houses
Chapter 4

Figure 4-10. Damage due to absence of a proper roof and wall connection at Bil-
hari.

Vertical splitting of Walls
Vertical splitting of thick hand formed mud walls was observed in a number of
villages. While in some cases it was easy to observe as the wall had collapsed
(Fig. 4-11), in others it could be concluded from the lateral "swelling" or growth
of walls on both sides. This mode of failure is primarily due to lack of "through'"
masonry units in the wall which provide connections between various "wythes"
of the wall1. Such mode of failure is very common for thick masonry walls espe-
cially of stones and bricks where such "through" stones or header courses are
not provided.

cONCLUSIONS

A significant amount of damage could have been prevented if established earth
quake resistant design guidelines had been applied to rural houses. The tradi-
tional building practices though adequate for vertical gravity loads, do not
perform well under lateral loads due to earthquakes. A large scale training of
masons and artisans about building earthquake resistant houses is only solution

against losses in event of earthquakes. The training should also include methods
of repairing as well as retrofitting of existing houses.

Jabalpur Earthquake of May 22, 1997 76