Push for quake-proof shelter in Nepal before monsoon

As he braces for the monsoon rains that threaten to inflict further misery after Nepal's devastating earthquake, Nawaraj Bista has more faith he will be safe inside his USD 100 quick-build corrugated iron home than under bricks and mortar.
Bista, a car salesman, saw his old home in Kathmandu reduced to rubble when a 7.8-magnitude quake ripped through the Himalayan nation on April 25.
But when a second major quake on May 12 brought down more buildings that had already been weakened, his temporary metal shelter emerged unscathed.
"Nothing happened to it," Bista said of the simple dome-shaped metal structure.

"This place has been a blessing... We will live here until the monsoons are over."
While orange and blue tents dot Nepal's quake-hit settlements, experts warn of an urgent need to build semi-permanent shelters like Bista's that can withstand the approaching monsoon rains and aftershocks that continue to shred locals' nerves.

"A tent is not a long-term solution," said Bijay Krishna Upadhyay, a director at the non-profit National Society for Earthquake Technology (NSET).
"We have to move to quake-safe transitional homes that will outlast monsoon, even winter."
The twin quakes killed more than 8,600 people, destroyed nearly half a million houses and damaged another 270,000 homes, leaving thousands in desperate need of food, clean water and shelter.

In a bid to accommodate thousands of families who need shelter before monsoons arrive, NGOs and design firms are moving away from emergency options like tents to building affordable and potentially permanent homes for quake victims.
Bista's new home was built by Kathmandu-based Portal Bikes and was inspired by a design that emerged in Pakistan after an earthquake in 2005 left 3.5 million homeless there.
The USD 100 shelter, which layers corrugated galvanised iron (CGI) sheets over a semi-circular metal frame, can comfortably house a family of four and takes less than an hour to erect.
"The design makes sense because families can reuse the sheets when they decide to make a permanent house," said Caleb Spear of Portal Bikes, an aid group which has built over 450 such homes so far.

In the northern district of Gorkha, epicentre of the April 25 quake, design firm ABARI is constructing bamboo and canvas yurts for villagers that are built to last for at least five years.
"In a developing country like ours, a transitional home cannot be built to last a short period," said Nripal Adhikari, founder of ABARI.