Cement Pakistan

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PAKISTAN CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY CEMENT BASEDMATERIALS AND CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE (CBM & CI)

Dr. Sahibzada Farooq A. RafeeqiProfessor and Dean, Faculty of Civil Engineering and ArchitectureNED University of Engineering and TechnologyKarachiPAKISTAN

CBM-CI International Workshop, Karachi, Pakistan Dr. S. F. A. Rafeeqi

ABSTRACT: This paper presents a holistic view of the state of affairs related to theconstruction industry in the last two decades. Advances in cement based materials and theireffective use in t infrastructure is informally finding its way in this part of the world.

The current landscape of the concrete construction industry and issues facing the industryare summarized. The unfortunate natural hazard (earthquake) of 8 Oct. 2006 seemed tohave given impetus to the process of formalization of the Pakistan Building Code; however,much effort is needed to implement and maintain the Code. The paper concludes withpossible advances that may take place in the next decade.

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Demographics

Pakistan, which emerged on the map of the world on 14 August 1947 as a result of thepartition of the Indian sub-continent, is located between latitude 24 35 north and 37 05north and extends from 61 east to 78 east. The total area of Pakistan is 796,096 squarekm stretching more than 1600 km from north to south and about 885 km from east to west.Pakistans topographical features range from lofty mountains in the north to coastal plainsin the south. The diversity of terrain leads to variety of climates; highland climate, lowlandclimate, coastal climate and arid climate. To the north, northeast and northwest of Pakistanlie three ranges of mountains. Among those ranges lie the great Himalayas, stretchingcontinuously for about 2500 km from east to west, apart from the Karakoram Range andthe Hindukush. Many of the worlds glaciers and high peaks lie in the mountains of Pakistan,

including K-2 and Nanga Parbat. Pakistan resides on two tectonic plates, namely the Indianplate and the Eurasian plate, while a unique triple junction is formed when the Arabian platemeets the two plates at Somiani, making Pakistan seismically active [1].


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The education budget for a population of more than 150 million people stayed almost 2.3%

of GNP, only to see an increase of almost 4% GNP in recent years. The literacy rate,therefore, hovered between 45% to 49%, with a womens literacy rate of about 36%. Thedropout rate from primary education remains the highest in the world. The public sectorhas been imparting engineering education through a few universities and its affiliatedcolleges, however, the Higher Education Commission has begun an ambitious plan ofopening engineering universities through foreign collaboration, while the private sector hasalso joined the drive by offering engineering education in selected disciplines.

Due to having an agriculture-based economy, about 70% of the population used to residein rural areas. However, recent growth and development trends have clearly establishedthat Pakistan is quickly urbanizing. Half of the population residing in urban centers aroundthe 2nd decade of the new millennium will live in urban areas. Most of the rural housing

is either non-engineered or marginally engineered [2], while the urban center provides alandscape of high-rise buildings on one hand to shanty towns and slums on the other. Theexplanation lies in the fact that many cities are developing without a master plan in place;the mega-city of Karachi, with more than 14 million people, is still waiting for a masterplan [3].

While building control authorities, civic agencies, and standard organization and regulatoryauthorities are in place happenings on the ground do not reflect their existence. The non-existence of the techno-legal regime has paved the way for the informal introduction ofconstruction practices, material procurement, and standardization of non-standards. It isin this scenario that the most forgiving material, concrete, is finding its way through aninformal route to serve its intended and established purpose of providing better living to

the people in this part of the world.

1.2 Natural Resources, Natural Disasters and the Environment

Pakistans natural forests, which amount only to 4% of the total area, are shrinking at therate of 1% per annum. This is alarming from the viewpoint of timber for housing. InPakistan, there are few deposits of metallic minerals but substantial deposits of some non-metallic minerals, including limestone, gypsum clays, marble, magnesite, iron ore, manganese,sulphur and celestite, which have use in the building and construction industry. Otherreplacement materials such as rice husk, sugarcane bagass, natural fibers, and fly ash thathave value in the construction industry have not been exploited to their full value. Pakistanis often threatened by the swelling of rivers and their tributaries in Sindh and Punjab

provinces as well as thunderstorms, stormy rainfall and hailstorms in the northwestern partof Pakistan and earthquakes in 70% of the country.

Figure 1.1 and Figure 1.2show the potential inter- and intra-plate faults, and a seismiczoning map of Pakistan. The coastal zones and the delta basin in Sindh province are



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threatened by severe environmental concerns for both sub- and superstructures inclusive

of sulphate attacks, corrosion, salt efflorescence, and carbonation, while some quarryingsites have been identified as having reactive aggregates. The severity of the climate in aridand highland zones also contributes towards variation in construction practices and/or useof materials.

The total number of housing units throughout the country according to the 1999 census was19.3 million, 67.7% of which was in rural areas and 32.3% in urban areas. According tothe 1998 census, the housing backlog was estimated to be 4.3 million units. The annualadditional requirement is estimated around 570,000 units, whereas the annual productionis estimated around 300,000 units, resulting in a recurring shortfall of 270,000 housing unitsannually. The household size is 6.6 persons, and the occupancy per room is 3.3 persons.It is estimated that to make up the backlog and to meet the shortfall in the next 20 years,

the overall housing production must be raised to 500,000 units annually. There is, therefore,a need for a comprehensive policy regarding research on construction materials, developmentof local talent for housing construction through coordinated research and development, andtraining and efforts towards indigenous materials, and sustainable development [4].


Figure 1.1 Map of Pakistan with potential inter and intra-plate faults


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2. OVERVIEW OF LAST TWO DECADES (1987-2007)

2.1 Materials

2.1.1 Aggregates

Limestone is a major sedimentary deposit and is widespread in Pakistan, while marblesandstone and granite are also available in various areas. These are mostly used as coarseaggregates after crushing. Although economic evaluation and characterization of thesestones have been scantly undertaken [5, 6], no concerted efforts have comprehensivelyevaluated the physical and mineralogical properties of these rocks and stones and developeda data bank of the same. The construction industries thus have to use the aggregates in

absence of any scientific characterization according to their own will and whim. Specificationsfor major jobs are mostly taken as guidelines instead of strictly conforming to the same.Concrete mixture designs usually serve the purpose of achieving the desired strength, whiledurability issues are often neglected, sometimes leading to durability problems, especiallyfor aggregates from newer quarrying sites. Artificial coarse aggregates are not heard of, and


Figure 1.2 Seicmic Zoning map of Pakistan


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blast furnace slag and recycled concrete aggregates are confined to academic laboratories

and are not used in the field construction.

Fine aggregates are usually obtained from rivers. Pakistan being a country of rivers,procurement is not difficult, except unplanned procurement is posing some problems, andduring floods availability is restricted unless sufficient stock is available.

2.1.2 Cement

Although 60% of the worlds cement production originates in Asia, the share of Pakistanis only 18 million tons out of the almost 900 million metric tons/year produced by Asiancountries. Standard specifications and the performance requirements for the strength andother physical properties of cements produced in Pakistan are as shown in Table 1. This

shows that the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) [7] mostlyfollow British Standards.

The specification requires that blast furnace cement shall contain at least 35% blast furnaceslag and a maximum of 65% clinker. The composition of all cement, i.e., ordinary portland,rapid hardening portland, sulphate resisting portland, and blast furnace, shall have no morethan 3% L.O.I., and between 1.5% to 2.0% insoluble residues. The maximum MgO andSO3contents allowed for blast furnace slag cement are 7% and 1.5% respectively. Theminimum Blaine fineness for all cements is between 225 and 250, except for the rapidhardening cement, for which the minimum Blaine is 325. The minimum 3-day strength forrapid hardening cement is 29 MPa. A summary of the standard specifications for cementsproduced in Pakistan is given in Table 2.

2.1.3 Reinforcing Bars

In Pakistan, the only producer of steel from primary raw materials is Pakistan Steel MillsCorporation Limited, where the steel is produced from high quality imported iron ores.Iron ore, manganese, and most of the coking coal is imported by Port Qasim, while thelimestone needed for flux is available in Pakistan [1, 8]. The billet thus produced is onlyabout 40% of the total need of the construction industry for reinforcing steel. The othersource for manufacturing steel reinforcing bars is ship plates and scrap ingot. Three differenttypes of reinforcing bars are being manufactured in Pakistan: mild steel bars (plain or ribbed)having a nominal yield strength of 250 MPa (35 ksi), cold twisted steel bars having anominal yield strength of 420 MPa (60 ksi), and high strength deformed bars having a

nominal strength of 420 MPa (60 ksi) [8]. A study undertaken at NED University revealedthe non-conformance of reinforcing bars to Pakistan Standard PS 2674 and/or to ASTM615, specifically with respect to ductility [8].



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Cold twisted bars are mostly used, even in earthquake prone areas of Pakistan, because their

strength is comparable to high strength bars but they are relatively cheaper. This practiceshould be discontinued, as it could have drastic consequences with respect to safety issues.One of the recommendations of the report [8] is to discontinue the manufacturing ofreinforcing bars from scrap ingot and to strictly monitor the cold worked reinforcement forconformity to the standards.

Table 1 Standard specifications and performance requirements for strength and otherphysical properties of cement produced in Pakistan [7]


* C = cement, W = water, S = sand, A = aggregates** 0.55 for super-sulphated cements and pozzolanic cements.


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Table 2 Summary of Standard specifications for Cements produce in Pakistan [7].



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2.2 Manufacturing and Production of Concrete

Data is not readily available for the average quantity of concrete used in the country, andit is somewhat difficult to collect and maintain such data. Concrete manufacturing rangesfrom hand mixing to ready mix concrete, but the most prevalent method for modest levelsof work is concrete mixers or, at the most, batching plants. The transportation and placementof in situ concrete is accomplished through lifts and/or tower cranes depending on theheight of the structure, while pumping of concrete has been very recently introduced byready mix operators (only one known) [9]. Except in the major cities of Pakistan, wherestrength-based concrete mixture proportioning design is common, the country follows theconventional ratio-based concrete mixture design irrespective of the performance criteria.The concept of performance criteria for concrete mixtures is very seldom used. Based onlocal skill and conventional norms, concrete unfortunately is mostly abused rather being

used in this part of the world.

The concrete strengths typically used range between 15 MPa (2500 psi) and 35 MPa (5000psi). Somerecent projects have utilized concretes of with strengths of about 42 MPa (6000 psi).

2.3 Other Cementitious Composites

Other cementitious composites such as fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) and ferrocementhave been explored in research laboratories. They have found very limited use in low costhousing, retrofitting and roofing [10]. Both these cementitious composite materials primarilyremain the focus of laboratory research rather than as accepted alternate materials for the

construction industry. Work on use of natural fibers, cement replacement materials, andother cement-based composites is being carried out in the university laboratories, and fieldapplications are practically non-existent.

3. LANDSCAPE AND ISSUES CONCRETE CONSTRCUTION

3.1 Landscape

Like many countries in the world, the concrete construction industry in Pakistan is veryfragmented. There is no single platform for the concrete construction industry. In Pakistan,the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) is the regulating body. There are about 1100consultants, about 25,000 registered civil engineers, and 27,000 contractors registered withthe Pakistan Engineering Council.

In the last two decades, significant growth in the construction sector has resulted in thedevelopment of both the public and private sectors. In the public sector, major national



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projects such as the nations highways, ports, irrigation projects such as dams, etc., are

planned and coordinated by the respective ministries of the government and thus wellsupervised. In the private sector, the development of the urban civil infrastructure seemsto be less coordinated and planned.

Both the public and private sector suffer from the lack of unified guidelines, specifications,standards and a general building code. Lack of these governing documents has providedopportunities for all sorts of malpractice and corruption. In the opinion of the author, thelack of governing documents and the existence of a techno-legal regime contribute towidespread corruption and rampant malpractices within both the private and public sectors.Fast-paced urban development with little or no attention to overall sustainability is thehallmark of last two decades [11].

The 8 Oct. 2006 earthquake brought the realization that concerted efforts are needed toformulate and adopt a Pakistan Building Code. The government is taking an active rolein the development of implementation strategies. The seismic provisions for the firstBuilding Code of Pakistan are almost on the verge of being adopted and implemented. Thisis probably the right time since the government is venturing into construction of high-risebuildings and transportation infrastructure all across the country. It should be noted thatmuch remains to be done for capacity building of human resources infrastructure to supportthe Building Code. This includes continued development, implementation and maintenanceof the Building Code. In addition, independent regulatory and maintenance bodies areneeded to support the Building Code of Pakistan.

The industry-academia-government relationship is practically non-existent and is dormant.This can be attributed to number of factors, including the lack of resource allocation toacademia for education and research, thus resulting in the incapability and lack of capacityof the professional institutions.

3.2 Issues

The issues facing the concrete industry in Pakistan include obtaining better quality rawmaterials, categorizing of the raw materials, improving the production of concrete, andimproving the quality control procedures for materials, design and construction.

Another issue is the adoption of governing documents like guidelines, specifications,

standards and code for design and construction practice. The unfortunate natural hazard(earthquake) of 8 Oct. 2006 has given impetus to the process of formalization of the PakistanBuilding Code; however, much effort is needed to complete, adopt, implement and maintainthe Code.



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The development of industry-academia-government relationships is essential for the concrete

construction industry. The capacity building of the academic institutions, thus strengtheningtheir capability to be of service to the industry and government is important and has beenrealized by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan. The initiatives of theHEC to bring about a transformation in tengineering education and thus in engineeringpractice will also influence the concrete construction industry.

4. NEXT DECADE (2008-2018)POTENTIAL ADVANCES

In the wake of increasing efforts towards industry oriented research, adoption of standardsand codes, and proper implementation strategies, the coming decade of 2008-2018 seemspromising for the concrete construction industry in Pakistan. This will have a significantimpact on the nations civil infrastructure and thus the overall economy of the country.

The recent initiatives of the HEC regarding reforms in the higher education sector havebeen instrumental in the cultural transformation of the otherwise neglected engineeringuniversities. Mega development projects for infrastructure and faculty development coupledwith funding for research and outreach activities have given impetus to university-industrylinkages within Pakistan and collaboration between Pakistani and foreign institutions.

4.1 Potential Advances Materials

Potential advances which are expected in the materials area are likely to be in (i) the useof higher strength concretes (strengths in excess of 6000 psi, 42 MPa); (ii) utilization ofsupplementary cementing materials like GGBS, silica fume, and rice husk ash; and (iii)

fibers for making high strength high performance concrete. Self-consolidation concrete isexpected to play an important role in future construction in Pakistan.

4.2 Potential Advances - Production

The construction of cement production plants and concrete production facilities are on therise. The production of cement is expected to have a growth rate in excess of 3% in thenext decade. In concrete manufacturing, it is expected that interest would be generated inthe areas of precast concrete for a variety of applications in the civil infrastructure.

4.3 Potential Advances - Quality Assurance Practice

The quality of construction is likely to be enhanced because of increased awareness amongthe concrete professionals and the development of testing agencies for quality control. Itis anticipated that concrete production will have to adjust with the changing climate toachieve higher quality concrete.



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4.4 Potential Advances - Design Practice

The design practice will improve with the adoption of the Pakistan Building Code. It isexpected that designers will work with the regulators or building officials to strengthen thedesign practice. The collaboration between academia, industry and government is essentialfor continued development and maintenance of the Pakistan Building Code.

4.5 Potential Advances - Construction Practice

For a developing country like Pakistan, much of the civil infrastructure remains to be built,and thus the importance of good construction practice needs to be recognized. Constructionpractice is predominately non-mechanized and labor intensive. This leads to poor workmanshipand lack of good quality assurance.

It is expected that mechanization will be initiated in the construction practice, and this willaffect the supply of quality concrete, speed of construction, reduction of pollution, congestionat construction sites, and the overall construction industry.

4.6 Potential Advances - Maintenance of Existing Facilities

Since there are no existing guidelines or code for the maintenance of existing facilities, theconstruction industry is challenged to develop such guidelines. It is expected that such aneffort could be initiated with the development of guidelines for the restoration and re-furbishing of historic structures within Pakistan.

Most of the civil infrastructure in Pakistan is less than 50 years of age, but since it waspredominately built with materials lacking in quality and with poor construction practices,it is showing signs of aging. It would be prudent to start thinking and planning for thedevelopment of guidelines for the maintenance, rehabilitation and or retrofitting of theexisting structures.

5. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS

This paper presented a holistic view of the status of the concrete construction industry inPakistan. The landscape of the concrete construction industry is presented. The factorsthat contribute to the slow pace of formalization and the issues facing the concrete constructionindustry are summarized.

Due to the recent initiatives of HEC, the potential advances that may take place in the nextdecade were presented.



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REFERENCES

[1] Sethi, H. N., The Environment of Pakistan, Pakistan Studies, Peak Publication London, p. 1182, 2001.

[2] Rafeeqi, S.F.A., Aspects of Earthquake Disaster MitigationSpecial Reference to Pakistan,Technology Updates Journal, Angeles University, Philippines, Vol. 2, pp. 1-14, 2005.

[3] Ahmed, N., and Rafeeqi, S.F.A., Urban Planning in Pakistan: Fallacies, Realities and Prospects,Proceedings of Seminar on Town-Planning, Karachi, Pakistan, pp. 1-10, 2001.

[4] National Housing Policy, 2001, Government of Pakistan, Ministry of Housing and Works,2001.

[5] Khan, M.A., Mallick, K.A., and Khan, E.A., Economic Evaluation of Building Stones of Sindh,Geological Bulletin University of Peshawar, Vol. 24, pp. 215-228, 1991.

[6] Khan, M.A., Khan, Z.K., Malik, K.A., and Khan, E.A., Unconfined Compressive Strength ofthe Building Stones of Sindh, Pakistan, Pakistan Journal of Geology, Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 26-31,

1992.[7] Young, J.F., and Afridi, MU. K., Innovative Cements, Chapter 9.3, Innovations in Portland

Cement Manufacturing, Edited by Bhatty J.I., Miller, F.M., and Kosmatka, S.H., PortlandCement Association, USA, pp. 1149-1239, 2004.

[8] Masroor, A.K., and Lodi, S.H., Comparative Evaluation of Reinforcing Bars in Pakistan, NEDUniversity Journal, Pakistan, Vol. 1, No. 2, 1994.

[9] Ready Mix Concrete Technology, Archi Times, Vol. 22, No. 01, pp. 5, 2007.[10] Rafeeqi, S.F.A., Research and Application of Ferrocement in Pakistan, Proceedings of the

Seventh International Symposium on Ferrocement and Thin Reinforced Cement Composites,Singapore, pp. 515-523, 2001.

[11] Ahmed, Noman., and Rafeeqi, S.F.A., Assessing the Urban Development Projects across theParadigm of Sustainability in the current Decade in Karachi, Pakistan, Proceedings of theInternational Civil Engineering Education Congress 2006 (ICEECE 2006) and 7th National

Civil Engineering Education Congress 2006, Philippines, pp. 1-9, 2006.


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