In the cyclone-prone Sundarbans, could cost-efficient homes built with locally available materials offer resilience in a changing climate?

Sundarban

The Sundarbans region of West Bengal, India, is frequently struck by cyclones, causing widespread destruction of homes, particularly among the poorest residents. In response, NGOs such as Mukti are building new homes using local materials like bamboo, clay, and straw, designed specifically to withstand strong winds and flooding. These homes feature steeper, aerodynamic roofs and elevated structures to protect against both wind and water.

Architects and organizations are also constructing community shelters and schools using a combination of traditional and modern techniques, such as reinforced bamboo columns and steel rings for added strength. These sustainable building methods aim to provide long-term safety for residents, ensuring that homes and community structures can endure the region's harsh weather conditions.

How to build sustainable homes in India’s 'cyclone capital'

The landscape of the Sundarbans has little to protect it when a cyclone sweeps across. It's a vast plain with mighty rivers. The coastline along the Bay of Bengal is regularly hit by cyclones. Just last night, it was especially stormy. Yesterday, I thought the strong winds might flatten my house. It's covered with polythene sheets. The wind strikes the sheets with force and could blow my house away. But by God's grace, it survived. Almost every year, the delta region is hit by a cyclone. In 2020, Cyclone Amphan was especially bad. It killed around 90 people in this region and destroyed nearly 3 million homes. Rebuilding after each storm is not always possible, especially for the poorest of the poor. The home of Salim Sheikh and his family was among those severely damaged by Amphan. My mother was in treatment. I had to pay Rs 3,000 to Rs 4,000 a month for her care. I was deep in debt. For about two and a half years, my mother suffered. It was impossible to repair my home. Now, a new whole house is being built for the family, financed by an NGO called Mukti. It helps those who could never afford a new home on their own. The houses are made of bamboo, clay and straw and are designed to withstand strong winds. They cost around Rs 185,000 to build. That's about 2,000 euros. Houses that have a steeper roof can withstand the upward thrust of the cyclone's winds better. In the area around our village, most of the roofs are flat, which makes it easy for the wind to blow them away. In this sense, I believe the new house will be much more durable. The NGO has a number of show homes on its campus. Here, visitors can see how houses built from local materials can withstand even the strongest cyclones simply due to the way they are designed. The most striking of these is a house that stands on legs, safely away from floodwaters. The roof is designed for the wind to blow straight through. But it is also very aerodynamic because we are creating these double curves. And we have to maintain the right slope because the thatch here is without any waterproofing. So we end up making a 15-inch or 18-inch thick thatched roofing. The thatching technique is actually inspired by a certain thatching technique from Indonesia. The NGO told us that these houses have already survived several cyclones unscathed. For around 20 years, French architect Laurent Fournier has also been living and working in the Sundarbans. His team builds with bricks and steel but also traditional materials sourced from the area. Right now, they are building a school for 350 children here in Barasat in West Bengal. One of these bamboo, like this one, can take a load of three tons before it is crushed. But if you make it more than four feet long, more than 1.2 meters, it will buckle, it will bend. In this column, we have 20 bamboo. So this column can take 60 tons because 20 multiplied by 3. But every four feet, we have one ring of steel which tightens the bamboo together. In the village of Jogeshganj, meanwhile, an architectural firm from New Delhi has built a community shelter working with two local partner organizations. It is designed as a place for locals to shelter when cyclones, with wind speeds topping 120 km per hour, tear through the village. Once again, bamboo is the main building material. Strong, flattened bamboo trunks are less likely to break. That's why this house is so safe. Vulnerable people from the tribal groups who have small houses come especially, along with local Bengalis. Bamboo is abandoned in the Sundarbans. It is the number one building material in the region. With intelligent design and structural engineering, more and more homes can be made safe. Because everyone here knows that the next cyclone won't be long coming. For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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