Bamboo and mud can be used for the construction of houses successfully as our ancestors have done for ages instinctively even if not scientifically
The government has pledged to begin post-disaster reconstruction with immediate effect even though a little belatedly. It will address both the Jajarkot earthquake that occurred in November 2022 and the landslides as well as flood disaster damages incurred by the heavy rains in early October last year. The cost has been projected at nearly Rs 1 trillion. The announcement coincided with Earthquake Day, which is observed every year on the 2nd day of the month of Magh, or January 15 this year. It is held to commemorate the demise of 8,619 people when the population was barely 6 million to the biggest-ever 1934 Earthquake measuring a scary 8.4 on the Richter scale.
The government has always projected itself as a Johny come lately character when its neighbours, China and India, have emulated the fast-moving Quicksilver of the Greek fame by consistently staging miraculous performances in the wake of disasters. On January 7, the earthquake in Tibet left 126 people dead and several wounded. But the Chinese government also hit back with the issuance of a level-three emergency alert that consisted of the establishment of 14 housing areas in virtually no time. In a week, 5,152 make-shift houses had been built with more than 30,400 relocated. India also made a stellar performance in the aftermath of cyclones like Dana and Nisarga that hit the eastern and western coasts, respectively.
Following a disaster, the sufferers need emergency, temporary and permanent shelter. While the emergency shelter is just for a few days, needing lightweight tent coverings, the temporary shelter is constructed to last for one to a year-and-a-half. Though they are not permanent by their very name and do not need to follow the permanent housing standards, these should nevertheless provide the residents with some minimum living standard requirements, of which some are the same as permanent housing. In addition, several infrastructural projects like roads, water supply and sanitation will also have to be initiated.
The extent of damage in the aforementioned disasters is mind-boggling indeed. For example, the Jajarkot earthquake shook 12 surrounding districts needing the reconstruction of some 2,537 houses followed by the retrofitting of another 6,624 houses, according to the damage assessment carried out by the government.
If this is the case with the Jajarkot earthquake, the damage due to the floods and landslides is more horrifying. It affected 20 districts impacting almost 20,000 houses. The damage to infrastructure does not lag any behind, with Bagmati Province suffering the most.
Though the government has to fight war on two fronts, firstly on housing and then on infrastructure, the former warrants more attention. In Jajarkot, the earthquake survivors lost valuable life to the chilly winter even after bravely seeing off the killer earthquake due to the lack of suitable dwelling.
In this context, the government has to take a judicious decision. It has to adopt cost-effective and climate-resilient construction. It is now clear that the use of cement and steel in construction is virtually a crime in view of the lusty blows that they have been dealing to the environment. For example, the manufacture of 1 ton of cement produces an equal amount of carbon dioxide while the production of a similar amount of steel produces double the amount, or 2 tons. Such materials should be confined to skyscrapers and not to residences as in the West.
Moreover, these shelters have to be thermally comfortable, which is seldom the case. The temporary shelters built in Lalitpur district following the 2015 earthquake were utterly discomfortable, with temperature ranging between 35 degrees Celsius in summer and 5 degrees in winter when it should be between 25 and 15 for comfortable living.
There are materials like bamboo that absorb carbon dioxide rather than emitting it. In fact, one ton of bamboo absorbs an equal amount of the gas. Such materials should be used in the construction of both temporary and permanent houses.
In fact, a few temporary shelters have been constructed and retrofitted in Rukum and Jajarkot districts as well as anew in the compound of the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology using bamboo and mud by this columnist duly incorporating 5 cm-wide air gaps on the floor as well as the roof for heat insulation. For the roof, a robust silpauline plastic sheet has been employed for repelling the rainfall. In the interior of such shelters, the temperature has been found to range between the required 15-25 degrees Celsius in the winter as well as summer. The Lumbini Academy of Science and Technology and Kantipur International College have supported this noble initiative.
An international ride-hailing service, In Drive, has now joined these illustrious institutions. Founded in 2012 by a group of local students, it has now more than 200 million downloads operating in more than 700 cities in over 45 countries, including the Kathmandu Valley. It has supported the construction of such temporary shelters in in Baseri, Laskot and Roshi of Kavrepalanchok district, bringing smiles on the faces of the disaster sufferers.
Bamboo and mud construction can be used for permanent shelters also. Laterite soil reinforced with 17 per cent bamboo has shown a compressive strength comparable to brickwork in cement sand mortar of 1 to 4 proportion in a laboratory test. Moreover, the use of grid bamboo framework can take the load of the re residences making it suitable for floor construction. Lower weight of bamboo also augurs well with earthquake shock. Thus, bamboo and mud can be used for the construction of houses successfully as our ancestors have done for ages instinctively even if not scientifically. The government should make use of such innovative means instead of going as usual if the objective is to meet the disaster reconstruction target.
