In a remote village in Sailung Rural Municipality-5 (formerly Katakuti VDC) of Dolakha district, a story of two neighbouring houses built after the 2015 earthquake shows how informed choices in construction technology can directly affect the homeowner’s resilience to future disasters and their risk of falling back into poverty.

Pakhatole is home to 864 households, nearly all of which have been categorized as eligible for the government’s housing reconstruction grant worth NPR 300,000 (US$ 3,000). Almost four-and-half years since the 2015 earthquake, between 80 to 90 percent of households have completed reconstructing their homes. The rest include a few that are financially weak, and those that have been out of contact after taking the first tranche of the grant. 

After the earthquake, the Nepal Reconstruction Authority (NRA) made it mandatory to adhere to one of the 17 house designs (Vol I and II) for beneficiaries to be eligible for the government’s reconstruction grant. Many beneficiaries resorted to traditional methods; only a few were aware of the new alternative cost-effective technologies. There was also a false perception among people that only structures with RCC (Reinforced Concrete Cement) band were earthquake resilient.

Seventy-year-old Khadga Bahadur was one of the many homeowners in the village who was quick to adopt the Stone Mud Mortar with RCC band (SMM-RCC band) technology. This technology involves the use of stones, mud, cement, wood, iron rods and CGI sheets. It took Khadga Bahadur nearly NPR 1,000,000 (US$ 10,000) and over 20 days to complete the construction of his house. As a farmer who had no other means of sustaining his livelihood, he was compelled to take out a loan of NPR 400,000 (US$ 4,000) to build the house.

When I met Khadga Bahadur, he was in a state of remorse as the cement house gets very cold in winter and he had taken out a hefty loan. “I should have picked the new technology. I was in a rush and was not really aware of this technology,” says Khadga Bahadur.

On the other hand, his neighbour, 45-year-old Yagya Kumari Khadka, decided to rebuild her house using a cost-effective technology known as Containment Reinforcement (CR) with Weld Wire Mesh (WWM). Yagya, a single woman who lives with her mother, received both social and technical support from UNDP for this purpose. “I am very happy with the house. I did not incur any financial burden and I feel I am contributing to conserve the environment by not using cement, rods etc.,” says Yagya Kumari. “Many of my villagers who came to observe my house have copied this model. Some have even built a one-story house on less than 3 lakhs (US$3,000).”

Containment Reinforcement is an innovative technology, introduced by UNDP in Nepal and acknowledged by the National Reconstruction Authority. It involves the use of stones, mud, GI wires, WWM and wood. It took Yagya Kumari about 16 to 17 days and an investment of around NPR 600,000 (US$ 6,000) to build her house. She used the US$3,000 grant from the government and took out a loan of US$ 1,000.

Since the government grant of NPR 300,000 (US$ 3,000) is insufficient for reconstruction in most cases, additional financial resources become essential. Though the approved construction technologies are not much different in terms of resilience, they have economic implications for many households, particularly poor and vulnerable ones in remote areas.

The cases of Khadga Bahadur and Yagya Kumari bear testimony to the fact that CR technology not only helps people construct resilient houses, but also spares them additional financial burden, ultimately keeping them from falling back into poverty. UNDP, by coordinating with the Government of Nepal and the National Reconstruction Authority, has helped construct 82 houses with CR technology in Dolakha district and 54 houses in Sindhupalchowk district as of August 2019.

UNDP, with support from European Union Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) and in coordination with the Government of Nepal and the National Reconstruction Authority, has helped construct 82 houses with CR technology in Dolakha district and 54 houses in Sindhupalchowk district as of August 2019.

Magar is a Database and Reporting Assistant for UNDP's recovery project based in Dolakha District .