Quake-resilient Houses

Nepal has witnessed many small and big earthquakes with the deaths of thousands of people and loss of property worth billions in recent years. The 2015 Gorkha Earthquake dealt a big blow to the country, forcing the people to reel from shock and devastation for years. Some weeks back, the quake rattled a few districts in far west, including Jajarkot and Rukum West, giving another rude awakening to the country to vigorously carry out massive preparedness against the unpredictable disaster. The country is gradually gathering experiences in coping with the post-quake situation. When an earthquake razes an entire village to ground, this triggers multiple problems for the victims. The construction of some private houses is not enough. It demands the relocation of all villagers to safer sites because the quake-hit site may not be fit for the residences on geological ground. 

The construction of integrated settlement is a viable solution to this problem. But a number of factors must be taken into account while building the integrated settlements. In addition to quake-resistant houses, the relocated areas must be appropriate for addressing the people’s livelihood problems. They must be equipped with the basic services – water supply, electricity, internet, schools, hospital, local market and cultural aspects of the affected people. The quake-victims do not go to live in the newly built settlements, if they face hurdles towards their social, economic and cultural needs.

A news report, published in this daily the other day, reveals that the quake victims have not preferred to live in the integrated settlements constructed following the Gorkha earthquake owing to a number of reasons. The government built integrated settlement at Gumsipakha of Gorkha to relocate Laprak villagers but barely 25 families live there now.  Only 50 of the 573 uniformly built houses are occupied. The houses are small, narrow, and built with little consideration for the climate of the locality or of the lifestyle of residents (especially of Gurung community). It has also no access to drinking water. The government's bid to relocate locals residing in Yasikai village of Rapti Municipality in Chitwan, to Kalitar area, which is six km west to the original place, came a cropper. The victims were provided land and Rs. 6.5 million each to construct new houses, but no one went there to live. These places lack prospect for farming, livestock and other kinds of practical employment. 

Experts are of the view that settlements built in Gorkha, Chitwan and Dhading districts are likely to become ghost towns, with the local gradually deserting them. Building quake-resilient houses is expensive. However, they can be cost-effective if the local resources and technology are used. It is not necessary that house using concrete and big rods are only quake-resilient. Safe houses can be built with local materials such as finely cut and flat shaped stones, wood and bamboo. Earthquakes have destroyed the houses with round and oval stones that have rolling tendencies, and mud joints with no ties or interlocking system. 

However, the structures made of flat stones have comparatively been less damaged, according to experts. There are several modalities of the construction of quake-resilient houses. They include Green, Resilient, and Inclusive Development Pathway (GRID), owner-driven modality, build back better approach, community partnership, and in-situ construction approach. Whatever the modality, it is imperative to follow national standards proposed by the Department of Urban Development to build the quake-resilient buildings.