AFP
Dhaka
Nepal yesterday imposed a two-month moratorium on the start of new building projects and limited current construction to two-storey after recent deadly earthquakes destroyed nearly half a million homes.
Officials said the move would give authorities time to review building standards in the wake of a 7.9-magnitude quake on April 25 and a smaller one last week that reduced much of the capital
Kathmandu to rubble.
Other rural areas were also left in ruins by the two quakes.
“We have halted permits for new buildings, and put a pause on approved buildings that have not begun construction,” said Purna Chandra Bhattarai, joint secretary at the ministry of federal affairs and local
development.
“We need to revisit our building norms and standards and this pause will give us that time,” he said.
Buildings already under construction will be restricted to two storeys until a new government committee comes up with recommendations to revise the current building code by
mid-July, Bhattarai said.
The ministry also stopped new land pooling and plotting by both government and private sectors for housing and
resettlement.
Those who have already obtained the go-ahead signal to build houses and have their designs approved by the authorities, were also told to stop constructing houses until further notice.
The earthquakes, which killed more than 8,500 people and made thousands homeless, highlighted the number of homes and offices built with substandard materials and with a routine disregard for
regulations.
The ministry urged the people to immediately demolish the houses that were built violating the building code.
Nepal has a history of earthquakes, with a disaster in 1934 also reducing much of
Kathmandu to rubble.
The government has set aside $200mn for a national reconstruction and rehabilitation fund, and has asked the international community to contribute a further $1.8bn towards
rebuilding.