Govt approves manual for bamboo-built structures

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Nov. 25: The government has approved manual for the design of structures to be built from bamboo. 

Minister for Urban Development Kul Man Ghising has approved the Manual for Design of Bamboo Structures, 2005.

The manual has paved the way for institutionalising the engineering design and construction of one- to two-story residential, small commercial and industrial buildings using bamboo as a structural construction material. 

A circular will be issued at the local level through the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration to implement the manual approved by the Ministry of Urban Development.

Steel- and concrete-based construction technology is expensive, environmentally damaging, and difficult to access in rural areas. As a result, the need for affordable and eco-friendly structures is increasing.

Keeping this in mind, Minister Ghising said that the guidelines have emphasised on encouraging and promoting the use of bamboo, which has been traditionally used at the rural level, as a construction material.

He said that locally available bamboo can be used for structural purposes, reducing dependence on materials such as bricks, cement and iron, and that when affordable structures are built from it, even the poor and families below the poverty line can build sustainable homes.

As bamboo is a fast-growing plant, if its use can be promoted, the negative impact on the environment caused by other construction materials can be reduced, said Minister Ghising.

The manual has been prepared based on facts, knowledge and standards obtained from studies and research on bamboo building design and construction technology at the international level.

The manual has set clear standards such as bamboo harvesting, grading, chemical treatment, storage and use. 

The design manual includes simple and easy-to-follow design methods and sample house designs with necessary details to build earthquake-resistant, environmentally-friendly, and cost-effective structures using bamboo, said the ministry.

During the preparation of the manual, necessary tests were conducted at the Institute of Engineering Studies, Pulchowk and Thapathali Campuses, the Nepal Bureau of Standards & Metrology, and Madan Bhandari University, with support from technicians of the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction.

Earlier, Tirtha Raj Bhattarai, mayor of Diktel Rupakot Majhuwagadhi Municipality in Khotang, had staged a fast-unto-death at Maitighar Mandala in Kathmandu, demanding policy measures to promote bamboo-based construction materials.