- A damp building creates unhealthy living and working conditions for the occupants.
- Presence of damp conditions causes efflorescence on building surfaces, which ultimately may result in the disintegration of bricks, stones, tiles, etc., and hence in the reduction of strength.
- It may result in softening and crumbling of plaster.
- It may cause bleaching and flaking of the paint, which result in the formation of coloured patches on the wall surfaces and ceilings.
- It may result in corrosion of metals used in the construction of buildings.
- The materials used as floor coverings, such as tiles, are damaged because they lose adhesion with the floor bases.
- Timber, when in contact with damp conditions, gets deteriorated due to the effects of warping, buckling and rolling.
- All electrical fittings get deteriorated, causing leakage of electric current with the potential danger of a short circuit.
- Dampness promotes the growth of termites and, hence, creates unhygienic conditions in buildings.
- Dampness, when accompanied by warmth and darkness, breeds the germs of tuberculosis, neuralgia, acute and chronic rheumatism, etc., which sometimes result in fatal diseases.
EFFECTS OF DAMPNESS