Mud-roofed houses disappearing in Humla

By Rajan Rawat,Humla, July 30: Traditional mud-roofed houses across Humla district are disappearing at an alarming rate as they are being displaced by the houses roofed with corrugated zinc sheets.   

The mud-roofed houses depicting the traditional architecture of Nepal are disappearing in the district after almost all villages got connected to the road network. RCC houses with zinc sheets are a popular choice for the residents of the Humla district.

Jagat Shahi of Tajakot Rural Municipality-3 said that the traditional houses built using mud are gradually disappearing. The mud-roofed houses of the village have their unique importance, and the uniqueness of the village architecture is lost with the disappearance of these houses.

He said that 20 per cent of the mud-roofed houses have been displaced from the villages in Humla in the last two years. The beauty of the village has also been lost with the disappearance of these houses. 

Jagat Bahadur Rokaya of Adanchuli Rural Municiplaity-2 said that the construction of RCC houses is a positive thing but it has taken away the originality of the village architecture. The zinc sheets have been rapidly replacing the mud roofs. 

He said that 25 per cent of the mud-roofed houses have been displaced with houses having corrugated zinc sheets in Adanchuli Rural Municipality. 

Similarly, Surendra Shahi of Adanchuli Rural Municipality-4, said that the houses with mud roofs have been disappearing with the introduction of zinc sheets in the remote hills. 

He said that most of the mud-roofed houses in Piplang Rural Municipality have been replaced with zinc sheets. The next generation would not be able to see the beauty of our traditional architecture, the beautiful mud-roofed houses that were the identity of the Nepali villages are on the verge of extinction, he added.

The mud-roofed houses are three to four generations old, so it is necessary to protect these houses so that the coming generation will be able to feel proud of their unique architecture, he said.

The situation is similar in Sarkegard, Kharpunath, Simkot and Namkha Rural municipalities.

Bimal Rawat, sub-engineer at the Intensive Urban Development Office, Jumla, said that the government and individuals have been replacing mud-roofed houses in the villages with houses roofed with zinc sheets.

He said his office alone had constructed more than 2,000 houses with zinc sheet roofs in the district, and the office was continuously building more houses using the zinc sheets. 

The Karnali Province government alone has constructed houses for more than 500 people in Kharpunath and Tanjakot Rural Municipalities.

He said that the construction of houses with roofs having zinc sheets is increasing in all rural municipalities in Humla except for Limi.

He said that with the construction of roads, the traditional mud-roofed houses are likely to disappear, so it is necessary to adopt a policy to conserve these houses which are part of our identity and attractions for the tourists visiting Nepal.