Nepal building code author says disaster was waiting to happen

The author of Nepal’s little-heeded building code says the earthquake that killed more than 4,300 people and caused at least US$2 billion in economic losses could have been less destructive with better oversight, reports Today.

According to the article, Mr Richard Sharpe, a New Zealand earthquake engineer who led a team that formulated Nepal’s only set of building standards 20 years ago, said, “They didn’t need this, but it was inevitable, absolutely inevitable.” The text took two years to compile and included information designed to prevent buildings crumbling in Nepal, which shares New Zealand’s high seismic risk and mountainous topography. Authorities didn’t systematically implement its rules and guidelines, from basic building design to electrical wiring specifications, said Sharpe.