Kathmandu Despite having specifications and standards for all construction material to assure quality and strength, Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology (NBSM) could not enforce them properly. NBSM has specification for bricks, sand and aggregate products, however, they are not implemented. Professionals term that use of substandard construction material as the major reason for the vast damage of buildings during the April earthquake. However, the concerned authority is not bothered to enforce and implement the existing guidelines. The National Building Code Materials Specifications (NBC 101: 1994) enlists all construction material specifications and standards to work on for cement, aggregates, mortar, precast concrete products, bricks, timber, wood, bars, et cetera to ensure quality. However, due to lack of strict enforcement mechanism, available guidelines are merely limited to the book. The strength and life of structures largely depend on the quality of construction material being used. “It was found that use of substandard construction material caused most of the damage in buildings during the earthquake,” said Structural Engineer, Prem Nath Maskey. Citing that the government needs to crack down on this issue, he said, “Due to the lack of law enforcement, manufacturers are taking advantage and focused only on commercialisation and producing substandard products in the market.” “As the government did not enforce the standards for bricks, sand and aggregates and available products have no quality and product strength. Customers also have no choice but to use these substandard materials,” said Maskey. Stating that implementing NBC 101 and Nepal Standard specifications for construction materials is not impossible, he said, “Political will and strict laws are needed from both Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology and the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies to make it happen.” According to him, the condition of cement, steel and iron are in a better position with mandatory provisions. “However, it is not enough. The government should focus on maintaining quality of all construction materials utilising the reconstruction phase of the nation,” he opined. He said that the government has to take serious legal action against manufacturers of products below the minimum standard. He further said that construction using substandard materials means zero life span and failure of design. Bricks are a significant component for any structure. However, manufacturers produce bricks without following specifications in the market. The only determining factor is the price and superficially made A, B, C and D grade. Echoing  Maskey, Yubak Kishor Rajbhandary, President of the Federation of Construction Materials Business Association of Nepal said, “As there is no specific standard maintained in bricks, sand and aggregates, consumers also have to pay an escalated price for low quality products.” Rajbhandary further said, “The weak enforcement of the standard and lack of timely monitoring are major reason why manufacturers take advantage of customers.” Moreover, he said that  unhealthy practices, commercialisation, lack of public awareness about composition and lack of punishment, encourage manufacturers to produce low quality products. While professionals blame the NBSM for weak enforcement, Director General of the metrology, Bishwo Babu Pudasaini said, “We regularly monitor construction material and conduct factory inspection to check the quality of products.” He further informed that they have recently inspected 20 cement bags from the market and found them in good condition. “We have found that many times due to mishandling and storage problems, problems are seen in cement products. So, proper handling training is required for retailers,” he added. About the standard of bricks, sands and aggregates, Pudasaini said, “We have specifications for these products, however, we could not implement them as the market has not demanded the same.” According to him, they face a manpower crunch for monitoring and infrastructure problems. As per NBSM, there are five inspecting staffs who need to monitor 300 products from 200 manufacturers. Former Secretary at the Ministry of Urban Development, Kishore Thapa pointed out that the present situation persists as concerned stakeholders such as manufacturers, businessmen, contractors, engineers and government bodies do not fulfill their responsibility. “The government has introduced necessary rules and regulations but implementation is a two way process. The government has to enforce and concerned people have to be accountable,” he added. Citing that there is a need for specification of construction materials with rates, he said, “It is also the responsibility of the people to be aware about quality and check specifications to ensure quality.”