The Professional Engineering and Regulatory Council (PERC) has released a technical report detailing findings and recommendations on the shell seven storey building which collapsed on Monday, 16th September, 2024. This disaster is second in row this year after another five Storey building collapsed at Regent, Mortormeh – the community which was severely hit by the mudslide of 14th August, 2017.
“A sad day for residents of Shell, Kissy and for us as a nation. May God watch over them. But we should also avoid doing things that will lead to destruction of property and loss of lives”. These were the words of Dr. Francis Sowa, Coordinator, Media Reform Coordination Group (MRCG) expressing condolences through his Facebook page to the families of the victims. He advised that Sierra Leoneans desist from behaviours which may endanger lives and property.
This disaster sent a shock-wave and spread fear across the country. Citizens have raised concerns about the safety of houses built to let. Questions about the standard of concrete mixture of these houses, qualifications and attitudes of contractors and engineers who supervised their construction are being asked.
“The Chairman of the Professional Engineering Regulatory Council (PERC), Ing. Alpha Badamasi Savage, along with a team of engineers, conducted a site visit on 21st September 2024 to assess the collapsed structure to determine the most likely cause/s of the collapse and make appropriate recommendations for actions by Government Authorities not only to prevent any such future catastrophic reoccurrences , but also to investigate further and get persons responsible from the planning to the implementation stage of this building to account for their actions; this will be fair not only to the deceased and their grieving families, but also to the general public to provide assurance that their rights as citizens of Sierra Leone are being protected”, report says.
PERC report includes findings relating to inconsistent concrete mixture, violation of planning and construction regulations, compromise in structural integrity, insufficient structural dimensions with inadequate reinforcement at a size of (0.3m x 0.15m) (10mm rods and 8mm links). The report says that such dimensions and reinforcement are “grossly inadequate for a 7-floor high building”.
The report further stares that the use of the building was changed from being used as a residential apartment to a store storage from the second floor. Prior the disaster, two containers (40fts) of motorbike oil and soft drinks in rubber tins were stored in the top floor of that building. Should a top floor be used as a store? Also, the first contractor was replaced by another one after he built up to the third floor. However, there was no revising or change of design structure to match current use or function of building nor did the previous contractor met with the one who replaced him. Who is the first contractor, and why was he replaced? Who is the second contractor, and does he understand structural and reinforcement dimensions for a building of such height? Did state authorities provide oversight? Was any agency contracted to provide oversight?
The cause of the collapsed was a combination of factors ranging from “inappropriate bar sizes and inadequate column dimensions which severely compromised the building’s structural integrity, the change from using the building as a residential building to commercial purposes (stores), the construction of the building over a waterway exposed the foundation material to constant moisture, …no quality control or supervision during the construction,… and construction proceeded without meeting essential building codes and standards and without consulting PERC to assist in regulating construction of such critical structures”, among others.
PERC concluded that the collapsed could have been preventable if only the structural integrity of the building had not been compromised. With many buildings already constructed and many under construction, how many of those buildings’ structural integrity, concrete mixture, structural and reinforcement dimensions have not been compromised? How many of those buildings have the proper design, followed good construction practices or codes and had regulatory oversight?
State owned institutions like National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), Environment Protection Agency (EPA), Ministry of Works (MoW), Ministry of Lands (MoL), Office of National Security (ONS), Sierra Leone Roads Authority (SLRA), Freetown City Council (FCC), etc. have a public task and responsibility to perform and are expected to be done timely, effectively and efficiently. They are expected to be responsive and accountable to citizens who have bestowed trust in their leaders; and therefore, they are oblige to work in their interests including ensuring that they live in rented houses or apartments with uncompromised structural integrity.
The government of Sierra Leone through MoL, PERC, Sierra Leone Institute of Engineers (SLIE) and other institutions concerned are expected to collaborate and establish building codes, concrete mixture standard, standard measurement for beams and other dimensions for all building types and ensure they are followed correctly and monitored through PERC and SLIE. Also, it is imperative for these institutions to earmark all disaster prone buildings and site and communicate to the public including those where buildings have been constructed already and design evacuation plan to prevent loss of lives and property.
PERC recommended among others that, “The owner of this building that collapsed, together with related Ministries, must be summoned by the relevant Committee of the Sierra Leone Parliament, should the outcome of the Parliamentary Investigation prove that there was professional negligence that caused such loss of lives, appropriate legal actions should be pursued as a deterrent to ensure future compliance with standard practice to protect public health and safety, there is an urgent need to pass regulations in Parliament that empower engineers to take full control of construction standards and project oversight, the Ministry of Lands, SLRA, FCC, and NDMA must collaborate more effectively to enforce land use regulations and building standards, PERC should be supported to ensure that only trained and certified contractors and companies are awarded contracts or engaged for providing engineering services in Sierra Leone in line with international best practice, the relevant Agencies of Government in collaboration with SLIE and PERC, should develop a system of pubic engagement and awareness programs about building regulations and establish easy-to-access channels for reporting unauthorized or unsafe construction activities, a building permits issued for buildings must be for specific use of the buildings as designed. Monitoring mechanism by Government Agencies supported by the ERM of PERC will ensure that buildings are used only for the purpose for which they were designed and approved and the Standards Bureau of Sierra Leone should put relevant mechanisms in place to ensure that all materials imported into Sierra Leone for construction and other engineering services are in accordance with international standards in all aspects…”
PERC report also states that there is “a pictorial evidence of a nearby multi-storey building with at least one floor being used as storage floor with guard bar windows…it was revealed that a water channel was constructed and the structure built over the channel to allow the stream to flow under the building. This building should be inspected by the relevant Ministries and Departments including NDMA for technical assessment and possible evacuation”.
Seriously, time has elapsed for our leaders to act tuff and respond to such disaster immediately to save lives. Government in and out have been reactive to such disaster with no structure in place to rescue and save victims; except with the help of private construction companies who do not have the right machinery to detect first where people are trapped under rubbles. Who knows people are still trapped under the rubble? Have our leaders yet to learn that they should develop a contingency plan for such eventualities, drawing from the 14th August, 2017 mudslide disaster experience? Do our leaders only know how to send or tweet condolences messages after disaster strike more than they know that it is their responsibility to prepare for timely response to same? Do they take pride in visiting disaster site and make speeches or in saving lives? Will such continue to happen in the face of leaders? May be, it’s no longer to whom much is given, much is expected?
