Preliminarily assessments of earthquake-destroyed buildings in the Valley carried out by the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development (MoFALD) found that over 60 percent of these structures were built for rental purposes, using substandard building materials.
Rishi Acharya, chief of Disaster Management Sector at MoFALD, said that such buildings collapsed or sustained severe damage as they were not constructed with due care or substandard materials were used"The buildings lived in by the house owners themselves have not been destroyed. Such buildings were found comparatively safer during the quake, which means that the house owners were less concerned about the safety of others," said Under-Secretary Acharya.
He said that a majority of the destroyed building were in areas that have plenty of business or rental opportunities. "The buildings damaged in areas like Gongabu, Sitapaila, Kausaltar and Lokanthali, among other areas, were being used by tenants either for residential purposes or for operating businesses.
Gopi Khanal, chief of the Municipality and Village Development Division at MoFALD, said that houses constructed by contractors out to make more money have also been found severely affected by the earthquake.
"So, we have found three types of buildings damaged by the earthquake: first, buildings that were old; secondly, buildings built for rental purposes; and lastly, buildings constructed by contractors for sale," he added.
He also said that contractors have been found using substandard materials to pocket more money.
Ek Narayan Dahal, chief of Kathmandu District Disaster Relief Committee, said that buildings constructed for rental purposes have been found to have been destroyed or severely damaged by the earthquake.
In Kathmandu district alone, over 40,000 houses were completely damaged and a majority of the demolished buildings were either old or constructed for rental purposes. "We have discovered that house owners have been constructing buildings for rental purposes with substandard materials. The government should be aware of this dangerous trend," he added.
He said that neighbors in the vicinity of houses destroyed during the earthquake have been reporting to the authorities that these structures were used for rental purposes. "None of the buildings meet building standards set by the government," he added.
Around 75,000 buildings were completely damaged by the April 25 earthquake in the Valley alone, the Home Ministry reports.
Joint-secretary Khanal said, "Buildings cannot be residential or rental. The building standards set by the government are the same for all buildings. The government is working to come up with a policy not to repeat the same mistake in future."
He said that poor monitoring on the part of local bodies gave leeway for house owners to construct substandard structures.
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