Why does curing stop after the pour in Garowe?

Curing supervision gaps in Garowe start at the pour, not after it. The concrete arrives, the crew places and finishes it, everyone watches, and then the supervision ends when the last man leaves the gate. Nobody is named to own the water, the wet cover or the record. The slab then dries under sun and wind while the paperwork says the job is done.

What breaks once the pour is finished?

The supervision contract ends at placement, so the person who could enforce curing is no longer on site. Placing concrete is visible work with a clear finish line. Curing is invisible work with no single moment of completion. A supervisor paid to check formwork, reinforcement and the pour itself can reasonably decide the job is over when the last float pass is done. If the contract lists curing as a line item but does not say who checks it, on which days and against what record, the line item becomes a sentence in a document and nothing on the ground.

Ask the site supervisor which named person is responsible for curing from the hour after the pour until the specified period ends. Ask what that person writes down each day. If the answer is a shrug, the gap is already open.

What does the concrete do while nobody is watching?

Concrete gains strength through hydration, and hydration needs water kept in the mix. In hot, dry and windy conditions the surface loses moisture faster than the mix can replace it, so the top layer dries before it has gained strength. The result is a weak, dusty surface, plastic and drying shrinkage cracks, and a slab that can look acceptable on the day and fail under load or abrasion later.

General practice is to start curing as soon as the surface can take it without damage, keep it continuously wet or sealed for the period the project specification states, and protect it from sun and wind. Common methods include ponding, wet hessian or sand kept damp, plastic sheeting, and curing compounds. Each has limits, so confirm the method and duration against the project specification and the engineer's instruction. Hot inland conditions can shorten the time before the first watering, so ask the engineer what interval applies on this pour rather than copying another site. Note that adding water to a mix that has started to set is not a curing method and weakens the concrete.

How do you catch the gap from the client's side?

Walk the slab in the first days after the pour, not weeks later. Look for a surface that has gone pale and dusty, fine map cracking, or edges that crumble under a boot. Ask for the curing record: who watered, when, and for how many days. Ask for the concrete cube test results and the laboratory that produced them.

Cube results are the cleanest evidence, because a slab cured for two days and a slab cured for the specified period will usually separate under test. Ask the laboratory for its rate and the sampling schedule directly if the contractor's records look thin. Ask the municipal engineer's office whether it holds any records or guidance for the plot, and check what your contract says about curing before you release any retention. Do not rely on a photograph of a wet slab; water on the surface for one hour proves nothing.

What to do next

Write a one-page curing instruction before the next pour. Name the person responsible, the method, the start time and the number of days, and require a daily signed entry plus cube test results. Send it to the contractor for written acceptance, confirm the duration against the project specification, and keep a copy with the pour records.