Building better and safely: Stimulating the private sector for sustainable solutions in Nepal

This document explores how the private sector in Nepal can be stimulated to take action in non-earthquake impacted areas so that develop an effective strategy to prevent such devastating losses in the future. According to official estimates, the earthquake caused 498,852 homes to be destroyed and an additional 256,697 damaged.

The author call for the Government to build a framework to foster private sector involvement, by:

• Establishing building codes, some of which are already in place, so that incrementally built structures are brought into formality and not pushed out due to excessive regulations or costs. It also means ensuring that compliance and inspection systems are people friendly and effective.
• Creating the framework for insurance products that can provide financial protection in the event of future disaster-related loss and that are integrated into the system of building codes and permit existing structures to be strengthened and new ones built with structural protection.
• Encouraging training and education in construction techniques, especially those that are tied into micro-finance and material sales.
• Strengthening the framework for micro-finance and mortgage finance so that more products can be developed and accessed by the majority of Nepalese citizens.
• Provide opportunities for community-led construction projects based on international experience to be adapted to Nepal.