Report and Recommendations of the Technical Committee for Staff Hostel,

Bannu Campus
A committee was constituted by the Vice Chancellor, UET Peshawar to evaluate the damage to
Staff Hostel, UET Bannu Campus and submit recommendations. The committee comprised of the
following:

1. Prof. Dr. Amjad Naseer (Coordinator, Bannu Campus)

2. Dr. Yasir Irfan Badrashi (Assistant Prof., Bannu Campus)
3. Engr. Akhtar Gul (Assistant Prof., Bannu Campus)
4. Engr. Abid Ali (SDO, DoW, UET Peshawar)

The committee conducted a visit to the Staff Hostel of Bannu Campus on August 20, 2019 and
observed the following.

1. Drainage of the area housing staff hostels is in a poor state. Rain water and storm water
from the campus is accumulated in the locality with no effective outlet.
2. UET Bannu Campus is located on the soil that is categorized as Expansive Soil,
characterized by its rapid and significant drop of shear strength when its water content
increases.
3. The staff hostel comprises of 12 rooms, some of which are more than 50 years old. Most
parts of the hostel building are deteriorated by dampness. Roof treatment has also been
deteriorated resulting in rain water seepage during rain fall. Roof slab reinforcement has
been corroded resulting in spalling of plaster. The current condition of the staff hostel is
shown in figure 1.

Figure 1 Current condition of Staff hostel repaired in 2012

4. Severe cracking was observed in the eastern wall of the staff hostel, which rests on the
boundary wall and is adjoined by agricultural lands. This consequently results in drastic
increase in the moisture content and an accompanying loss of shear strength of the soil
during watering of the crops. The cracks in eastern part of the staff hostel wall and the
agricultural land adjacent to the hostel is shown in figure 2.

Figure 2 Cracks in eastern part of wall (Left), Agriculture Land adjacent to the staff hostel (right)

5. The southern wall of the staff hostel has experienced differential settlement resulting in
tilting of the wall. Water from the main ground is accumulated in this area resulting in high
water content in the soil hence causing settlement of wall. The separated part of the
southern wall from the other walls of the room is shown in figure 3. These cracks are
increasing with continuous settlement of the foundation soil.

Figure 3 Cracks in southern part of wall due to settlement/tilting of wall

6. Cracking of the walls, resulting from settlement of the soil is evident in all the rooms and
bathrooms of the staff hostel.
 Figure 4 Cracks in the bathroom (Left) and in the rooms (right)

In view of the observations recorded during the visit, the following recommendations are made.

1. Proper drainage of the campus may be designed and constructed, giving particular
consideration to the fact that the campus is located around four feet below the adjacent
road and to a lesser extent below the other boundaries. Unless proper drainage from the
campus is ensured, any building in the campus will be vulnerable to settlement issues.
2. Southern walls of the hostel is extremely vulnerable and shall be removed and re-
constructed immediately as the settlement of the foundation is continuously increasing.
Furthermore, structural assessment of the campus buildings may be carried out.
3. Retrofitting may be carried out for the damages/cracks in other parts of the building.
4. The staff hostel had been declared to be a Shelter Accommodation by the authorities rather
than a full-fledged hostel. It is recommended that a full-fledged staff hostel, similar to the
one in Peshawar may be constructed for the faculty.
5. It is suggested that any building in the campus shall be constructed as a reinforced concrete
frame rather than masonry wall system. This is in light with the observations in other parts
of the campus where settlement of masonry wall systems have been observed (and
repaired).

Engr. Akhtar Gul Engr. Abid Ali

(Member) (Member)

Dr. Yasir Irfan Badrashi Prof. Dr. Amjad Naseer

(Member) (Convener)