Kathmandu at risk!

Kathmanduites are more susceptible to the dangers of earthquake than the residents of Japanese city of Kobe, which is considered one of the most earthquake prone cities in the world, according to a report by a government agency.

"If an earthquake hits the valley then there might be a huge casualty," said Director of Urban Development and Construction Department Surya Bhakta Sagucha while making the report public, "the residents of Kathmandu valley are more at risk than the people of Kobe."

Kathmandu has very narrow streets and if a building or a huge structure collapses in the event of an earthquake then people don't have any considerably big place to run to.

"Rapid urbanisation, exploding population and haphazard construction are the reasons why the people of Kathmandu are at risk," Kantipur Daily quoted him as saying.

To mitigate the risk the government had introduced the building code in the year 2001 and had directed 58 municipalities and 119 urban centres to fully abide by it.

"Houses and structures are being constructed against the code," said Amrit Man Tuladhar, chief engineer at the Urban Development and Construction Department.

According to the department, more than 6 thousand houses are built in the capital every year. nepalnews.com ag Jan 14 08