NBC came into existence in 1994 and was approved by the cabinet in 2003. It made it mandatory for any individual, institution or government body, including any government-owned autonomous institution, to obtain approval for building blue prints and designs from the municipality offices or division offices of the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC). [break]
Speaking at a discussion Saturday on the topic, ´Effective Building Code for Better Living´ organised by Blue Coffee, a group of academics and architecture professionals, civil engineers suggested updating the building code and by-laws under a separate body.
Prem Nath Maskey, a professor at the Institute of Engineering at Pulchowk, said, “The building code came into existence at a time when buildings had to be no more than five stories and in traditional style. But now, modern architecture dominates the scene and the country is at high risk of earthquake; buildings designed on the basis of the existing building code are liable to collapse during major earthquakes.”
Pointing out that developed countries update their building codes every three years, Maskey said Nepal should do likewise and this would be possible only if the government formed a separate body with responsibility for updating and reviewing the building code, including its by-laws and retroffiting guidelines.
DUDBC has not been able to update the code since the beginning, and as a result the government has been unable to assess whether modern buildings constructed in the last decade are safe in terms of fire hazard and earthquake and other natural disasters.
Sagar Krishna Joshi, senior division engineer at DUDBC, said updating the building code was at the final stage and DUDBC would soon introduce a revised code. A ministry level ´Building Construction Management Improvisation Committee´ under the Building Act-2055 is to submit a revised draft of the building code to the cabinet,” he added.
He said DUDBC is also developing strategies for effective implementation of the code. “There is no coordination between DUDBC and municipalities. The laws are so vague it is difficult to ascertain which government authorities are supposed to take action if there is violation of the code,” said Joshi.
Similarly, Uttar Regmi, project chief at Kathmandu Metropolitan City office, said though building maps are designed by architectures, construction does not follow the provisions of the building code.
Stakeholders including Debesh Raj Bhattarai of the Society of Nepalese Architects and Mahendra Gurung, president of Nepal Engineers´ Association, shed light on how the building code can be better implemented.
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