Kathmandu Valley attracts many people from outside the valley, placing substantial demands on living and working spaces. Floors are added to existing buildings, or are demolished or replaced by tall structures. Countless shrines, historical structures and building silently testify to historical earthquakes, fires and politics. As a result, Kathmandu Valley has changed rapidly. Uncontrolled urbanization, inadequate infrastructure, ineffective and incomplete building and land development codes have amplified public hazards and risks, but the understanding of the risks is as yet underdeveloped. For example, there is not much awareness in the Valley regarding the types of occupancy of buildings.
“Occupancy” defines the use of a room or space in a building. A “mixed use or mixed occupancy building” is a building with rooms that can be used for different purposes. Change from one designated use to another is termed “change in use or occupancy”.
Mixed use or mixed occupancy creates hazardous conditions, endangers occupants, diminishes public safety, and impacts living environment. But today, existing buildings, including historical buildings, are being used differently than originally intended. Existing residences are converted into restaurants, doctors’ clinics, apartments, educational institutions, nurseries, etc. While shops or restaurants occupy the ground floor, offices lease upper floors. Customers under signs reading “Momos” occupy window seats, beers in hand. Residents peek from upper floors.
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A walk from Ranipokhari via Kamalachhi to New Road will help understand the dangers and impacts of unmanaged “mixed use” on new, existing and historical structures. This route is lined with sites of historic importance like Annapurna, Ganesh and Agima temples in Asan, Hanumandhoka Durbar Square, Taleju Mandir, etc. Congested new buildings have replaced older structure along the route, creating a feeling of claustrophobia.
Before spaces are converted or used for other purposes, non-structural and structural concerns that impact fire and earthquake safety need evaluation. The number of potential occupants based on use, dictate the hazards and calls for particular fire protection mechanisms, structural requirements and other safety features. Changes in fire protection requirements in structural systems impact structural safety. Increases in floor count and seismic loads impact foundation systems. Escape mechanisms for occupants may prove insufficient!
Mitigation may require limitations on building area, height and location, additional fire protections, sprinkler systems, infrastructure improvements, etc. Mixed occupancy in existing and new buildings can be made viable and safe with planned infrastructure development, proactive fire-life and structural safety regulations, controlled use of spaces, and controlled hazardous flammable materials storage.
State of the art methods of mitigation are available. Additional research is unnecessary. When Land Development Stakeholders remain silent on mixed use, unsafe environments are created, and fire events can result in devastating consequences. Judicious implementation of known mixed use or occupancy standards is recommended.
The historic 1833 BS “Paltan Ghar” is in Asan. In 2012, a gas cylinder explosion in the ground floor, converted to a restaurant, created an inferno. Narrow alleys, inadequate infrastructure, and delayed water supply prolonged fire-fighting operations.
This disaster exemplifies the impact of unmanaged mixed use. The tenants and landlords unknowingly created a mixed use or occupancy building through a change in use by converting the ground floor to a restaurant.
Republica has reported on many recent fires: the Santungal-based LG Factory (Oct 14), Guheshwari, RB Home Concern (Oct 12), Annapurna Plywood Industry (Sep 22), City Center Fire (Aug 22) Civil Center Fire, and many others. These reports testify to the fact that the issue of occupancy is misunderstood and possibly ignored, where other countries have been known to learn from such accidents. In November 1942, a fire in Coconut Grove Nightclub in Boston killed 492 people. Subsequently, laws were developed and implemented to prevent loss of life and ensure safety.
Mixed occupancy management, engineered fire protection systems, and adequate infrastructure development ensure safety. Public safety from man-made fire hazards and natural earthquakes can be controlled by proactive, timely inclusion of “mixed use” in Nepal National Building Code. Preventive pre-disaster mitigation, controlled through effective and appropriate codes, ensures public safety and diminishes potential suffering. Otherwise, occupants pay with loss of life, limb, property and livelihood. People, communities, and historical relics need protection from potential fires and earthquakes in buildings with mixed use or change in use.
Destruction and devastation of “toles”, monuments and historical sites from man-made and natural disasters provide a learning experience to plan, salvage and rebuild the valley. The following questions should be asked when navigating the narrow corridors of Kathmandu Valley lined with national historic and heritage sites, structures and buildings.
Are firefighters trained and fire engines equipped for Kathmandu’s current realities? Shouldn’t Kathmandu’s fire stations, essential emergency facilities, be upgraded to modern earthquake and fire resistance standards? Can national treasures be protected and preserved from potential fires, earthquakes and man-made hazards? Can “chowks” be designed as staging locations during emergencies to ensure public safety?
The author is a California-licensed professional engineer and visiting faculty at KU
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