Stakeholders Emphasize Public-Private Partnership and Integrated Housing in Post-Disaster Reconstruction

Ashoj 3, Kathmandu.

Experts and stakeholders have emphasized the need to advance integrated housing development through the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model for sustainable post-disaster recovery and reconstruction.

On the occasion of the 75th Diamond Jubilee of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce, speakers participating in a panel discussion held on Saturday as part of the ongoing ‘Nepal Land, Housing and Construction Expo’ at Bhrikutimandap, pointed out that disaster risk reduction must be compulsorily linked with housing and urban development plans.

In the discussion, Prakash Aryal, Deputy Development Commissioner of the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, stated that risks should be identified before construction to minimize human and physical damage from disasters.

‘It is necessary to make risk communication and preparedness systems effective and to link the building permit system with the overall construction process,’ he said, ‘A comprehensive integrated policy is needed to manage settlements in river corridors and high-risk areas.’ He also opined that building codes should be effectively implemented at the local level and standards should be updated considering seismic risks.

Deepak Kumar Malhotra, Senior Vice President of the Nepal Chamber of Commerce, pointed out the need for business-friendly policies to regulate the housing and real estate sector.

He stated that practical policy and legal provisions regarding the sale of apartments to foreigners and the use of collective housing have not yet been fully implemented.

Malhotra said, ‘The government and private sector must work together to advance affordable housing construction targeting the middle class and disaster victims. Since more than 240 industries and businesses are linked with the real estate sector, it is necessary to change the perception that those investing in it are merely ‘land dealers’.’

Architect Nabin Devkota of Societies of Nepalese Architects (SONA) stated that implementation and strategic weaknesses, rather than a lack of laws, are the main problems in Nepal. He emphasized that the inconsistent implementation of building codes nationwide, lax monitoring, and malpractice in engineering approvals need to be controlled. He argued that local levels should not make building construction merely a source of income.

Architect Birej Shah, Director and Urban Planner at Kathmandu Institute, warned that the tendency to consider only road and physical infrastructure construction as urban development would lead to long-term problems.

He said, ‘Urban development requires coordination of multidimensional subjects such as economy, culture, environment, geography, and sociology. When creating modern urban plans, we should not forget the traditional architecture and indigenous knowledge developed by our ancestors 800 years ago.’

Dr. Mandeep Subedi of the Nepal Geotechnical Society stated that a scientific study of soil and geographical conditions must be made mandatory in reconstruction and housing development. He emphasized ending the tendency of creating standards only after significant loss of life and property, stressing the identification of risks before a disaster occurs.

‘Although we have advanced in the ‘hardware’ development of infrastructure, integrated settlement development has not been effective due to our inability to connect the ‘software’ aspect,’ he pointed out.

Engineer Deepak Kunwar, Chairman of the program and President of the Nepal Land and Housing Developers Association, stated that settlements in riverbanks and high-risk areas should be re-evaluated.

Stating the need to learn from the floods and landslides in Rasuwa, Trishuli, and Bhote Koshi areas, he said, ‘Safe housing can be built by systematically utilizing government land located slightly away from high-risk areas. For this, the private sector is ready to collaborate with the government on a non-profit basis.’

The program, facilitated by Architect Pramila Shilpakar of Khwopa Engineering College, saw the presence of experts and entrepreneurs from the urban development, land use, construction materials, and disaster management sectors. In the expo, which runs from Ashoj 1 to 4, there are stalls of various companies related to housing, construction technology, and infrastructure.

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