From now onward, the municipality will check whether the designs and the maps of the buildings going to be built are in tune with the NBC and other standards stipulated in the municipal Building By-laws for disaster risk reduction.[break]
Organizing a program in Dhangadhi on Sunday , the municipal officials announced the enforcement of the NBC in the town. The municipal officials said the move was aimed to counter the ongoing haphazard urbanization, without adherence to the building code, which may cause a huge loss of life and property if a high magnitude earthquake jolts the municipality.
“We request all the locals to construct earthquake resistant buildings. From now onward, we will only approve construction of those buildings which are designed as per the building code,” said Durga Nath Gautam, head of the municipality.
Though the government introduced the NBC a decade ago, Dhangadhi municipality was yet to enforce the code. As a result, majority of the houses in the municipality are not resistant to earthquake.
He further said that the building vulnerable to earthquake will also be retrofitted in the days to come. “As Nepal is already at a high risk of earthquake, it is necessary to construct physical structures in compliance with the NBC,” said Bed Prakash Lekhak, chief of the Kailali District Administration Office.
Secretary at the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Locals Development, Santa Bahadur Shrestha said the municipality should also bring all the public buildings in the municipal area under the frame of the NBC to ensure the safety of thousands of public visiting such places every day.
Though the Department of Urban Development, an implementing body, had decided to enforce the NBC in all the municipalities and district headquarters, it remains a far cry from the reality.
Nepal stands at the 11th position when it comes to earthquake vulnerability.
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