After quakes, slate roofs replaced with corrugated sheets in Bajura

By Sher Bahadur Sarki,Bajura, May 15: Most of the villagers in Bajura have replaced slate roofs on their houses with corrugated sheets to protect themselves from earthquakes after multiple earthquakes jolted the district in recent months. Fearing further quakes, many people have started building one-story house, citing that the earthquake had mostly damaged two-and-three-story houses. 

Padam Sarki, a local of Dogadi in Khaptad Chhededaha Rural Municipality-5, said that earlier people used to build two or three-storey houses in the village. Since those houses were mostly affected by earthquakes, now everyone is building a one-story house with a corrugated sheet roof, he added. The locals have even started constructing animal sheds using corrugated sheets. 

Most of the houses in Himali, Swamikartika, Jaganath, Budhinanda, Gaumul, Bhadhimalika, Budhiganga and other municipalities are built of stones and mud and so are vulnerable to earthquake.

Meanwhile, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has constructed special houses with corrugated sheets for the displaced people. It is said that such houses would help reduce human casualties. 

Earlier, many houses with slate roofs were destroyed in the 5.9 magnitude earthquake with epicentre at Swamikartika of Bajura that occurred on January 24, 2023. According to the District Police Office Bajura, 104 houses were completely damaged, 509 houses were partially damaged and 463 houses were lightly damaged by the earthquake. 

Similarly, 23 houses collapsed in a 5.9 magnitude earthquake with epicentre at Dahakot of Gaumul on April 28, 2023.