Himalayan News Service

KATHMANDU: The debris of buildings damaged by the massive earthquake of April 25 will be disposed into pits on the banks of the Bagmati River and Chobhar. The large pits dug by Himal Cement Factory at Chobhar have been selected for disposing the debris of damaged structures of the Valley.

The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development is working with the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, Kathmandu Valley Development Authority and Kathmandu Metropolitan City to demolish the partially damaged houses and manage the debris.

The quake had completely destroyed 5,061 houses while 18,537 suffered partial damage, generating a huge quantity of debris in Kathmandu. Severely damaged houses with multiple cracks in pillars, beams and walls as well as houses standing in precarious condition need to be demolished to ensure safety of people and neighbouring houses.

The debris will be collected in suitable places allocated by each 23 municipal bodies along with the KMC and Lalitpur Sub Metropolitan City.

The debris constitutes bricks, stones, concrete blocks, tiles, steel bars, Corrugated Galvanised Iron sheets, wooden joists, beams, doors and window frames, steel pipes and tanks, UPVC pipes and tanks, electrical wires and cables, furniture and fixtures, cement concrete, dust, clay, plants, broken glasses and chemical pastes among others. There may also be hazardous waste such as gas cylinders, building materials containing asbestos, pesticides, acids, batteries and chemicals from industries in the disaster-hit areas and they need specific treatment.

Altogether 4,054 earthquake-damaged buildings, including 1,451 in Kathmandu and 1,998 in Lalitpur, need to be demolished. Among them, 900 houses have already been demolished by seven teams comprising Nepali Army and Nepal Police personnel. As many as 407 houses have been demolished in Bhaktapur so far. Demolishing 1,752 buildings inside the Valley — 822 in Kathmandu, 630 in Bhaktapur and 300 in Lalitpur — is not easy due to the lack of proper equipment.

Shiva Hari Sharma, Deputy Director General at Building Division of DUDBC, said, “The government is trying to approach India, China, Japan and the US to get necessary equipment for demolishing the damaged multi-storey concrete buildings,” he said.

He said house owners could claim the debris for reuse. “The unclaimed and abandoned debris will be disposed in open spaces by respective municipalities to reuse them for filling deep pits, potholes and for other development works in the future,” he added. “The owners can directly hire private contractors for speedy demolition and debris management of their houses or buildings.”