Background
Muzzafarpur is located in the Tirhut region of the State of Bihar. The location is prone to flooding during the monsoons due to the overflow of the river Kosi. Building a conventional model of pucca anganwadi is quite challenging due to this location. Mobilization of human resources and building materials can become tough. Due to this, a prefabricated portable anganwadi has been proposed for this location.
Modular and Portable Design
Prefabricated modular structure can be expanded based on the increase in number of children and transported easily in a flat-pack manner.
Climate Responsive Design
Ample amount of natural lighting and ventilation enters the learning spaces. Improved thermal comfort is achieved due to the insulated materials used, orientation of the Anganwadi and spatial planning.
Use of Eco-friendly Materials
The walls and flooring is made of Bio Panels which are that are made of compressed agri-waste and non-VOC emitting adhesive.
Child-friendly Design
Child-friendly design elements were provided such as interactive spaces for children to sit, play, eat meals and for classroom sessions to be taken. Ample storage space has been provided for all materials according to curriculum. Interactive graphics are provided on the wall and floor surfaces.
Learnings
The prefabricated model of building an Anganwadi is scalable. 10-20 numbers of Anganwadis can be pre-fabricated at the same time in a factory in a timespan of one month. Another 15 days will be required to install and finished these on site.
With the help of an instruction manual and an on-site supervisor, these Anganwadis can be built very efficiently and quickly on-site.
Current scenario of anganwadis in India
Existing anganwadis are built with hazardous materials like asbestos sheets or with poor structural quality buildings. Insufficient lighting and ventilation and thermal comfort along with no interactive learning methods to improve the learning of the children hinder efforts to achieve the primary goals of an Anganwadi i.e. provide services comprising of supplementary nutrition, health and education for children, mothers and adolescent girls
”This center has provided the locals with a variety of essential services and I hope many such centers are built in the future so that everyone can access them.”
Dr. Ajay Kumar
Assistant District Magistrate, Disaster Management, Muzzafarpur
Impact
The solar integrated prefabricated Anganwadis work well for geographies like Muzaffarpur, which is affected by floods every year. Easy to dismantle and transport to another location, these structures can be used for health care delivery, food security and other emergencies for the displaced communities.
The modular way of building the Anganwadi led to almost zero wastage at site and at the end of its life-cycle, this building will have no demolition waste which reduces the consumption of resources which are non-renewable and limited.
