[ad_1]
After the catastrophic rapid clay landslide at Nystulia en Ask in Gjerdrum the day before New Years Eve, there has been uncertainty as to who was responsible for what during the development of the area 15 years ago.
By reviewing the docs on the build cases, which are now gradually being released, and with follow-up confirmations from players, Dagbladet can state the following:
- Of basic avalanche protection measures in Nystulia it would be carried out as a separate project and completed before the construction of the houses began.
- NGI, the Norwegian Geotechnical Institute, was responsible for design geotechnical landslide protection measures that were to be implemented. At the same time, NGI was responsible for check design. These are two different permits (approvals as a responsible company) granted by the municipality of Gjerdrum.
- The JR Anlegg company, then called Johan Rognerud AS, was responsible for perform projected measures. So it was the construction machinery and the people of this company who planned the land, moved masses and made the dumps, according to the instructions of NGI. Then reviewed the same company on the avalanche protection measures they had taken was satisfactory. This was also in line with two different permits from the Gjerdrum municipality.
Will contribute information
Dagbladet has put a number of questions to Johan Rognerud AS, which is today called JR Anlegg and is owned by AF Gruppen, including whether there is a separate final report to verify that the security measures were carried out as they should.
Fighting the clock
“The preliminary work in the area was commissioned by Johan Rognerud AS. We will now provide all the facts and documentation that the company has in the investigations that have now started, but we ask to understand that this may take some time, ”writes CEO Jon Arve Rognerud in an email to Dagbladet.
In addition to this, the company declined to comment.
Safe developer
– I am very confident in the execution, says the developer of the security measures before the development of Nystulia, Odd Sæther at Gjerdrum Boliger.
He had no “problems” with Johan Rognerud AS both in the execution and in the control of the construction works, soil and terrain in this measure.
– That’s how it was then. Also, I’ve been and followed the build process every day, and made sure everything went smoothly, Sæther tells Dagbladet.
He says that now he and his company are looking for documentation, but that it is difficult because he has been evacuated and does not have access to many of the documents in the case.
Dagbladet has so far not received any comments from the company responsible for security measures, Øvre Romerike Prosjonering. The company is today owned by Norconsult.
Great puzzle
Berit Adriansen, business manager for planning, surveying and construction in the municipality of Gjerdrum, emphasizes that they still have a lot of work ahead of them.
MUNICIPAL HOUSE EVACUATED: The municipal planning and development manager in Gjerdrum municipality, Berit Adriansen, says that so far only a fraction of the construction case documents have been found in the area around the landslide. Photo: Heiko Junge / NTB
see more
– It is a very extensive work to solve this riddle about what could have been the cause of the landslide. It has a long history, at least more than 15 years, and over a large area. So far, we’ve probably only released a fraction of the documents, he tells Dagbladet.
Unknown cause of landslide
No one yet knows the answer to what went wrong and caused the rapid clay landslide in Gjerdrum. What is known is that the residential area that collapsed was built on fast clay soil. Extensive stabilization work has been carried out on the ground. The landslide protection works and the stabilization of the area were the prerequisite for the municipality to be able to build houses there.
There has been speculation about the natural causes of the landslide, but NVE states in its clay quick guide that the vast majority of large clay rapid landslides throughout history have been man-made. In that case, something must have gone wrong in relation to the stabilization measures and construction in Nystulia or other measures and development cases in the vicinity.
ASK IN GJERDRUM:. Candles were lit along the road from Gjerdrumsvei to ASK, while exploration work was still continuing on January 3. Several houses were taken over by the landslide, several hundred were evacuated and several were sent to hospital. Photo: Terje Pedersen / NTB
see more
You know pr. Not today if in that case it is because the measures projected for the work on the ground have been insufficient or if the measures described have not been implemented correctly. Therefore, searching for documents is critical for both investigators and police, and the first question asked is: Who was responsible for what?
Unfortunate double roles
The documents now reveal that both design companies (NGI) and executing companies (JR Anlegg AS) had dual roles in working with the important basic security measures. Both companies controlled their own work.
This happened after permission from the Gjerdrum municipality and was completely legal at the time.
Today, the principle of self-control has been removed from the Construction Law. As of July 1, 2010, article 23-7 of the Planning and Construction Law establishes that “The responsible inspector will be independent of the company that carries out the work being inspected.”
– The way Nystulia B9’s roles and responsibilities were distributed was completely in line with the regulations at the time. Now this has changed, so there must be another company doing control tasks, says Berit Adriansen.
Fredrik Holth, associate professor of legal subjects at the NMBU, an expert on Planning and Construction Law, has previously told Dagbladet that the change in the law came precisely to prevent one from controlling oneself.
Holth believes that the change in the law is good and increases confidence in the construction case process. Adriansen agrees.
RESCUE WORK: Many were rescued from the avalanche pit after the landslide on New Year’s Eve, but seven were found dead. Three still to go. Photograph: Christian Roth Christensen / Dagbladet
see more
– The change was implemented to increase confidence in the controls that are carried out, he says.
Implemented system
The principle that contractors control themselves has been implemented in all housing construction cases, which were promoted in Nystulia, after the basic protection against landslides was implemented. In housing cases, there is an exception to these dual roles: NGI is the company that controls the conditions of the land, without granting any other role there.
In several documents, the private company has made an effort to say that the basic works to protect against landslides have been carried out correctly and that the stability in the area is satisfactory.
– What is this based on when you yourself were not in control of the implementation of basic landslide protection?
– NGI has had people present for inspections during the execution of parts of the basic work, but the formal responsibility for this monitoring did not have NGI, the company responds through its communications manager Øydis Castberg.
– In a technical note dated 04.21.2006, posted online on New Year’s Day, he writes that “NGI will exercise control during the construction period.” What do you mean by that?
– We believe that we were present for an inspection during the execution of parts of the groundwork, but the formal responsibility for this monitoring did not have NGI.
– I think death happened relatively quickly.
Berit Adriansen in the municipality of Gjerdrum recalls that Nystulia has developed in several stages. She says it cannot be ruled out that a measure in one location could affect ground conditions elsewhere.
– This is, or will be, part of the investigation and the police investigation, he tells Dagbladet.
Later objections
Nystulia is part of the Ask center, and during the subsequent development of the center areas, concerns have been raised about whether the security and stabilization work on the ground has been good enough.
Regarding the proposed new plans for the regulation of the Ask center in 2013, objections were raised from both the county governor and the Norwegian Directorate for Water Resources and Energy (NVE).
“Both geological reports prepared in connection with the proposed plan conclude that the stability of the area is not satisfactory. Extensive stabilization measures must be implemented at various locations to achieve satisfactory stability. The risk and vulnerability analysis reveals the risk of landslides and avalanches and the risk of massive landslides, but does not have satisfactory mitigation measures. The county governor, therefore, opposes the plan proposal. “Wrote the county governor.
