Dujiangyan Prefabricated Panel Houses

There are some prefabricated panel houses in Dujiangyan that pose safety hazards.

I. Manifestations of Safety Hazards The self-built prefabricated panel houses on Kuiguang East Fifth Street in Dujiangyan City, despite having been reinforced during earthquakes, still have cracks all over the interior. The prefabricated panel houses in Block D of the urban village renovation project in Group 5, Jiefang Community, Guankou Town, Dujiangyan City, were built 35 years ago. After experiencing earthquakes, multiple cracks have appeared on the walls, and they leak severely when it rains, leaving the houses in a dilapidated state. Prefabricated five-hole panel buildings, as a type of prefabricated panel house, have numerous quality issues and safety hazards. They are roughly made, with insufficient reinforcement and an unbalanced sand-to-gravel ratio, resulting in questionable quality and a short service life. The foundation excavation is shallow, lacking ring beam protection and load-bearing concrete column support, which makes the structural stability of the houses poor. The overlapping dimensions between the prefabricated panels and the walls are limited, and there are no riveting measures. In the event of natural disasters such as strong winds or earthquakes, the prefabricated panels are prone to detaching from the walls, leading to house collapses and casualties. Moreover, these houses lack integrity. Once a prefabricated panel falls in one place, it may trigger a chain reaction, causing the entire house to collapse.

II. Safety Responsibilities and Appraisal For prefabricated panel houses with significant safety risks, the property owners (users) of the houses, as the persons responsible for the safety of house use, have the responsibility to ensure the safety of the houses. To accurately understand the safety status of the houses, the property owners (users) can entrust a qualified third-party organization to conduct a house safety appraisal. Through professional appraisal, the degree of safety hazards in the houses can be clarified, providing a scientific basis for subsequent decisions on repair, reinforcement, or demolition. This can effectively avoid accidents caused by house safety issues and safeguard the lives and property of the occupants.