Ethiopia’s rapid population growth has becoming serious challenge on housing and in response to this the construction sector and civil engineering are also growing speedy. But, the issues related to quality is still an issue.
Ethiopian building proclamation no.624/2009 stated that ‘A building officer may order defective materials intended for use and stored on site or incorporated in the works, to be removed from the sits or the works.’ But the affirmed standards which requested under proclamation does not fulfill international standards since the responsible agency accommodated standards which are accounts little standard in number yet.
ISO (International Standards Organization) has more than 1,100 standards in related to inputs of construction. Contrasting to this, Ethiopian Standards Agency operated with less than 40 standards on construction related issues for the last years and affirmed 82 new standards recently.
Of course, in developing countries like Ethiopia construction and civil engineering influences with limitations of quality while the rate in quality and quantity has growing alarming.
Mostly, Agencies and contractors also concentrate on how broaden the industry with regardless of achieving high quality. Subsequently, multitude of inputs of construction carried out enormously.
Ethiopian Standards Agency which is an uthorized agency for affirmation, General Director Endalew Mekonen, said that the new affirmation of standard is aiming at to scale up quality the nation`s construction and civil engineering sector.
“The Agency has not allowed supervising the quality of construction and civil engineering. But we assess all subjects of standard quality with request of the authorized institution or Ministry,” he stressed.
The absence of coherent and codified laws also challenges the quality of buildings. Communication Director at the Agency, Yisma Jiru, in his part also remembers the newly affirmed standards as basic guidance to public policy since it comprises the standard of each standard which comprises internationally recognized.
To him, standards which affirmed by the Agency are not comprised with codified proclamation and tackled to ensure quality product in all sectors. So, as to lessen the prevailing problems, it needs to comprise standards in codified proclamation and the agency also drafted new proclamation which allowed taking measurement on challenging practices.
To him, the former standard has experience many faults on the sector thus many requirements were not comprised under it. Adding, 2 standards are revised with no change while the rest 35 has reaffirmed. The newly construction and civil engineering related standards upturned to 119 to comprise some basic ISO standards.
“The agency will never compromise standard deficiency in related to construction and construction inputs,” he describes.
The former Ethiopian Urban Development and Construction Minister, Jantrar Abay, also told journalist that the Ministry is committed to take any measurement for construction quality.
Regarding to standards, Ethiopia Bedecha told The Ethiopian Herald that the ministry is obliged to standards which affirmed by ESA and will strive to keep standards implemented. The use of improper materials may consider as grounds for rejection depending on the newly affirmed standards he insisted. But the newly affirmed standards are not explained to the ministry still now, he remembered.
The Ethiopian Herald April 28/ 2011
BY YESUF ENDRIS
