Even though we always knew that Nepal lies in a seismically active zone, the loss of lives and property we are looking today is largely due to our unpreparedness. At this hour of tragedy, I do not want to blame anybody. Still, those who were responsible for developing and maintaining various infrastructures in the country should realise their mistake and take the responsibility. Their inappropriate and unwise actions cost the lives of many people and their properties. This disaster has lots of lessons to offer, but we have to focus on the present and future now. We have to think of ways to how we can make Nepal a safe place to live again.

To recover from this devastation, the immediate priority should be relief activities which, though ongoing, is clearly not enough. This is despite money and material pouring in from within and outside the country. Even after a week of the earthquake, people are still living under the open skies and the government seems to be helpless. In addition, there is also a need to think of long-term reconstruction plans immediately. This will help cities, towns and villages return back to normalcy. To do so, separate reconstruction plans should be formulated for rural and urban areas.

Temporary houses

In rural areas, most of the buildings that were made of stone or brick masonry with cement or mud mortar have all been completely destroyed. To avoid this from happening again, the reconstruction plan in rural areas should be divided in two phases. Post-earthquake, most people in rural areas cannot immediately afford a costly house which can last many years. Since, they have no shelter and as the rainy season is coming soon, the government should help them to build a temporary house at or a nearby location where they had their lived previously.  Such houses could be made of cement mortar, be a one-storeyed brick or stone masonry structure (based on availability) with tin roof with wood (local) false ceiling. The houses can make use of established earthquake-resistant masonry building construction methods. The cost of these buildings will not be high as they can be made by using local materials, except for cement and tin-sheets for the roof. The government could provide subsidy in those materials. To those who are too poor to rebuild their houses, the government should fully fund them. This will help people live close to their farms and also continue working on them. We can estimate the approximate cost of the building and think of further optimisation later. We can also request many Nepalis working in the Middle-East and Malaysia to return back to the country and help in rebuilding villages. They should be paid well for their work.

Permanent settlements

The first phase of the plan is a temporary but a safe solution for the short term. The second phase is should focus on the long term. In the second phase, the Japanese model of village planning can be applied. The government could relocate all houses which are now scattered in the villages and concentrate them in one location. Based on the size of the population and topography, the villages could either be small, medium or large-sized towns.

To do so, first, an area in the plains and safe from landslides must be chosen. If possible, the place it should not be at a higher elevation, it could be a river valley. This is because providing water supply and road construction and ensuring their maintenance could be difficult at a higher elevation. The new settlement with planned residential areas must accommodate nearby residents and public buildings like banks, shops, schools, hospitals and for recreation activities. Then, such villages or towns should be connected with major roads.

After that we can shift the people living in temporary houses in the villages to this newly-planned location. If we can do this, people can live there for several generations and have access to all basic facilities as well. Road links to places where people have their farms will further help people retain their connection to their villages and also help them continue agriculture as they wish to.

High rises

In urban areas, the temporary solution could resemble the first phase of planning for rural areas. In the long run, the government could construct earthquake-resistant high-rise mansions and rent it out to the public. This is precisely what the government of Japan has done—built and rented out high rises to the people. The government could fix the apartment rent based on the income of the people so that most of the people can afford to live in it. In parallel, the private sector can be involved in the construction of similar mansions. So this disaster is also a chance for Nepal to plan its urban areas in a way that they are safe in case of future calamities. 

The most important thing now will be the implementation of this plan within a given time frame. For that, the current government mechanism must be overhauled. A separate department should be created for reconstruction and a capable team including engineers, architects, geologists, economists and bankers and business people should be formed. We must all act with urgency.

Ghimire is Chief Engineer at Commonwealth Engineers Co.Ltd, Tokyo, Japan