KATHMANDU, Sept 29: Before daybreak on Monday, a two-and-a-half storey concrete house collapsed at Dhapakhel in Lalitpur Metropolitan City-24, a day after days of continuous rainfall had stopped.
The house belonging to Sobhit Kumar Thapa collapsed at around 6:35 am after a landslide occurred below it, according to SP Gautam Mishra of the District Police Range, Lalitpur.
Police said the house came down with a loud crash as the weakened slope gave way. Authorities had assessed the risk on Sunday and evacuated three people living there, preventing casualties. The house slid about 200 meters down into a ravine.
The preliminary assessment suggests rainwater had seeped deep into the sloping ground, weakening the soil and triggering a landslide. Continuous rainfall in Kathmandu Valley, which had begun on Wednesday night, stopped on Sunday afternoon.
But the incident has raised a broader question: was rainfall alone responsible, or did unsuitable terrain, inadequate planning and weaknesses in construction also contribute?
All houses look similar in Sindhuli after reconstruction
The Dhapakhel collapse is not an isolated case. Nearly two dozen concrete houses have reportedly collapsed from their foundations across Kathmandu Valley over the past year. About half a dozen houses collapsed in a similar manner in Tarkeshwar Municipality last June. Such incidents have also been reported in Bode, Sitapaila, Kavresthali, Budhanilkantha, Bansbari, Bhangal and Kapan.
The growing number of incidents has raised questions about construction quality and safety amid rapid and poorly planned urbanization.
Experts say houses built on slopes can become vulnerable when adequate geological and technical studies are not carried out and building standards are poorly enforced. In some areas, even rainfall or relatively minor ground movement has caused houses to crack, subside or suffer structural damage.
Population growth and construction pressure have increased sharply in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur over the past decade. As more structures are squeezed onto limited land, experts say soil testing, foundation depth, structural design and overall safety are sometimes given inadequate attention. Construction of new buildings in older settlements can also affect neighboring structures.
Before construction begins, technical studies should assess ground conditions, the soil's load bearing capacity and the proposed building's structural design. However, treating building permit approval as a formality and deviating from approved designs during construction can increase risks.
Technical inspection should also continue after construction. Weak monitoring of building materials, workers' skills, structural design and construction practices can leave hidden vulnerabilities.
The Kathmandu Valley is also highly exposed to earthquake risks. Buildings must therefore comply with earthquake resistant design and construction standards introduced after the 2015 earthquake. A house that appears strong from outside is not necessarily safe. Its entire structural system, from foundation to roof, must meet safety requirements.
Preventing similar collapses requires responsibility from local governments, engineers, contractors and homeowners. Authorities need regular technical inspections from the approval of building plans through completion, along with enforcement of construction standards and action against violations.
The Dhapakhel incident also highlights the need to rethink urban development. Simply increasing the number of houses cannot define development. Decisions about where to build, what type of structure suits particular terrain, how rainwater should be drained and whether an area faces landslide or subsidence risks must become part of the planning process.
Safe settlements require scientific assessment of terrain, sound construction and regular monitoring by local governments.
As Dhapakhel resident Binay Maharjan put it: “Are we simply building houses, or are we building safe settlements?”
