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PAKISTAN
CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY CEMENT BASED
MATERIALS AND CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE (CBM & CI)
Dr. Sahibzada Farooq A. Rafeeqi
Professor and Dean, Faculty of Civil Engineering and Architecture
NED University of Engineering and Technology
Karachi
PAKISTAN
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 the
construction industry in the last two decades. Advances in cement based materials and their
effective 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 industry
are summarized. The unfortunate natural hazard (earthquake) of 8 Oct. 2006 seemed to
have 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 with
possible 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 the
partition of the Indian sub-continent, is located between latitude 24 35 north and 37 05
north and extends from 61 east to 78 east. The total area of Pakistan is 796,096 square
km 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 plains
in the south. The diversity of terrain leads to variety of climates; highland climate, lowland
climate, coastal climate and arid climate. To the north, northeast and northwest of Pakistan
lie three ranges of mountains. Among those ranges lie the great Himalayas, stretching
continuously for about 2500 km from east to west, apart from the Karakoram Range and
the 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 Indian
plate and the Eurasian plate, while a unique triple junction is formed when the Arabian plate
meets 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%. The
dropout rate from primary education remains the highest in the world. The public sector
has been imparting engineering education through a few universities and its affiliated
colleges, however, the Higher Education Commission has begun an ambitious plan of
opening engineering universities through foreign collaboration, while the private sector has
also joined the drive by offering engineering education in selected disciplines.
Due to having an agriculture-based economy, about 70% of the population used to reside
in rural areas. However, recent growth and development trends have clearly established
that Pakistan is quickly urbanizing. Half of the population residing in urban centers around
the 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 a
landscape of high-rise buildings on one hand to shanty towns and slums on the other. The
explanation 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 master
plan [3].
While building control authorities, civic agencies, and standard organization and regulatory
authorities 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 of
construction practices, material procurement, and standardization of non-standards. It is
in this scenario that the most forgiving material, concrete, is finding its way through an
informal 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 the
rate of 1% per annum. This is alarming from the viewpoint of timber for housing. In
Pakistan, 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. Other
replacement materials such as rice husk, sugarcane bagass, natural fibers, and fly ash that
have value in the construction industry have not been exploited to their full value. Pakistan
is 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 part
of Pakistan and earthquakes in 70% of the country.
Figure 1.1 and Figure 1.2 show the potential inter- and intra-plate faults, and a seismic
zoning map of Pakistan. The coastal zones and the delta basin in Sindh province are
CBM-CI International Workshop, Karachi, Pakistan Dr. S. F. A. Rafeeqi
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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 quarrying
sites have been identified as having reactive aggregates. The severity of the climate in arid
and highland zones also contributes towards variation in construction practices and/or use
of materials.
The total number of housing units throughout the country according to the 1999 census was
19.3 million, 67.7% of which was in rural areas and 32.3% in urban areas. According to
the 1998 census, the housing backlog was estimated to be 4.3 million units. The annual
additional requirement is estimated around 570,000 units, whereas the annual production
is estimated around 300,000 units, resulting in a recurring shortfall of 270,000 housing units
annually. 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, development
of local talent for housing construction through coordinated research and development, and
training and efforts towards indigenous materials, and sustainable development [4].
CBM-CI International Workshop, Karachi, Pakistan Dr. S. F. A. Rafeeqi
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 marble
sandstone and granite are also available in various areas. These are mostly used as coarse
aggregates after crushing. Although economic evaluation and characterization of these
stones have been scantly undertaken [5, 6], no concerted efforts have comprehensively
evaluated the physical and mineralogical properties of these rocks and stones and developed
a 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. Specifications
for 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, while
durability issues are often neglected, sometimes leading to durability problems, especially
for aggregates from newer quarrying sites. Artificial coarse aggregates are not heard of, and
CBM-CI International Workshop, Karachi, Pakistan Dr. S. F. A. Rafeeqi
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, and
during 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 Pakistan
is only 18 million tons out of the almost 900 million metric tons/year produced by Asian
countries. Standard specifications and the performance requirements for the strength and
other 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] mostly
follow British Standards.
The specification requires that blast furnace cement shall contain at least 35% blast furnace
slag 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 more
than 3% L.O.I., and between 1.5% to 2.0% insoluble residues. The maximum MgO and
SO
3
contents allowed for blast furnace slag cement are 7% and 1.5% respectively. The
minimum Blaine fineness for all cements is between 225 and 250, except for the rapid
hardening cement, for which the minimum Blaine is 325. The minimum 3-day strength for
rapid hardening cement is 29 MPa. A summary of the standard specifications for cements
produced 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 Mills
Corporation 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 the
limestone needed for flux is available in Pakistan [1, 8]. The billet thus produced is only
about 40% of the total need of the construction industry for reinforcing steel. The other
source for manufacturing steel reinforcing bars is ship plates and scrap ingot. Three different
types 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 a
nominal 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 revealed
the non-conformance of reinforcing bars to Pakistan Standard PS 2674 and/or to ASTM
615, 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 practice
should 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 of
reinforcing bars from scrap ingot and to strictly monitor the cold worked reinforcement for
conformity to the standards.
Table 1 Standard specifications and performance requirements for strength and other
physical properties of cement produced in Pakistan [7]
CBM-CI International Workshop, Karachi, Pakistan Dr. S. F. A. Rafeeqi
* 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, and
it is somewhat difficult to collect and maintain such data. Concrete manufacturing ranges
from hand mixing to ready mix concrete, but the most prevalent method for modest levels
of work is concrete mixers or, at the most, batching plants. The transportation and placement
of in situ concrete is accomplished through lifts and/or tower cranes depending on the
height of the structure, while pumping of concrete has been very recently introduced by
ready mix operators (only one known) [9]. Except in the major cities of Pakistan, where
strength-based concrete mixture proportioning design is common, the country follows the
conventional ratio-based concrete mixture design irrespective of the performance criteria.
The concept of performance criteria for concrete mixtures is very seldom used. Based on
local 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 (5000
psi). Some
recent 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 ferrocement
have been explored in research laboratories. They have found very limited use in low cost
housing, retrofitting and roofing [10]. Both these cementitious composite materials primarily
remain the focus of laboratory research rather than as accepted alternate materials for the
construction industry. Work on use of natural fibers, cement replacement materials, and
other cement-based composites is being carried out in the university laboratories, and field
applications 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 very
fragmented. There is no single platform for the concrete construction industry. In Pakistan,
the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) is the regulating body. There are about 1100
consultants, about 25,000 registered civil engineers, and 27,000 contractors registered with
the Pakistan Engineering Council.
In the last two decades, significant growth in the construction sector has resulted in the
development 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 well
supervised. In the private sector, the development of the urban civil infrastructure seems
to 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 provided
opportunities for all sorts of malpractice and corruption. In the opinion of the author, the
lack of governing documents and the existence of a techno-legal regime contribute to
widespread corruption and rampant malpractices within both the private and public sectors.
Fast-paced urban development with little or no attention to overall sustainability is the
hallmark of last two decades [11].
The 8 Oct. 2006 earthquake brought the realization that concerted efforts are needed to
formulate and adopt a Pakistan Building Code. The government is taking an active role
in the development of implementation strategies. The seismic provisions for the first
Building Code of Pakistan are almost on the verge of being adopted and implemented. This
is probably the right time since the government is venturing into construction of high-rise
buildings and transportation infrastructure all across the country. It should be noted that
much remains to be done for capacity building of human resources infrastructure to support
the Building Code. This includes continued development, implementation and maintenance
of the Building Code. In addition, independent regulatory and maintenance bodies are
needed 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 to
academia for education and research, thus resulting in the incapability and lack of capacity
of the professional institutions.
3.2 Issues
The issues facing the concrete industry in Pakistan include obtaining better quality raw
materials, categorizing of the raw materials, improving the production of concrete, and
improving 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 Pakistan
Building Code; however, much effort is needed to complete, adopt, implement and maintain
the 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 strengthening
their capability to be of service to the industry and government is important and has been
realized by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan. The initiatives of the
HEC to bring about a transformation in tengineering education and thus in engineering
practice 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 standards
and codes, and proper implementation strategies, the coming decade of 2008-2018 seems
promising for the concrete construction industry in Pakistan. This will have a significant
impact 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 have
been instrumental in the cultural transformation of the otherwise neglected engineering
universities. Mega development projects for infrastructure and faculty development coupled
with funding for research and outreach activities have given impetus to university-industry
linkages 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 use
of higher strength concretes (strengths in excess of 6000 psi, 42 MPa); (ii) utilization of
supplementary cementing materials like GGBS, silica fume, and rice husk ash; and (iii)
fibers for making high strength high performance concrete. Self-consolidation concrete is
expected 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 the
rise. The production of cement is expected to have a growth rate in excess of 3% in the
next decade. In concrete manufacturing, it is expected that interest would be generated in
the 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 among
the concrete professionals and the development of testing agencies for quality control. It
is anticipated that concrete production will have to adjust with the changing climate to
achieve 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 is
expected that designers will work with the regulators or building officials to strengthen the
design practice. The collaboration between academia, industry and government is essential
for 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. Construction
practice is predominately non-mechanized and labor intensive. This leads to poor workmanship
and lack of good quality assurance.
It is expected that mechanization will be initiated in the construction practice, and this will
affect the supply of quality concrete, speed of construction, reduction of pollution, congestion
at 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, the
construction industry is challenged to develop such guidelines. It is expected that such an
effort 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 was
predominately 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 the
development of guidelines for the maintenance, rehabilitation and or retrofitting of the
existing structures.
5. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
This paper presented a holistic view of the status of the concrete construction industry in
Pakistan. The landscape of the concrete construction industry is presented. The factors
that contribute to the slow pace of formalization and the issues facing the concrete construction
industry are summarized.
Due to the recent initiatives of HEC, the potential advances that may take place in the next
decade were presented.
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CBM-CI International Workshop, Karachi, Pakistan Dr. S. F. A. Rafeeqi