The landscape of Nepal is changing. Traditional mud-brick homes and multi-story cement structures are being replaced with corrugated tin houses. There are several reasons for this drastic change of building materials.
1) Some feel tin will withstand earthquakes better than mud brick.
2) People don’t have the means to replace an expensive cement building, and furthermore,
(3) if a simple lightweight tin structure came crashing down in the night, one would probably survive, whereas the likelihood of survival diminishes dramatically if the structure were bone crushing cement.
(4) Scientists are claiming there will be an enormous earthquake, ‘the big one’. The prediction is that the quake will be soon so people hesitate to invest large amounts of money into a new home if it will be wiped away soon.
Prior to the earthquake Kathmandu was just beginning to come into its own. Investors were building tall apartment buildings with modern amenities that are common in the West. Now the buildings remain empty and unfinished. People are afraid to occupy a building with more than 2 floors.
Apparently there is a joke circulating in Kathmandu. It goes something like this. If a young man wants to marry he goes to the girls father to ask permission. The father asks the young man how many stories are in the house where his daughter will live. The young man proudly boasts that his house is 5 stories. The father says, ‘No, you may not marry my daughter. I want a daughter who is alive, not one who is dead but lived in a fancy house.’
Photos: simple tin homes & tall apartment buildings have lost their appeal.
