Nov 14, Kathmandu - The government has revised and implemented the National Building Code (Code) for the construction of earthquake-resistant buildings. The provisions in the old code have been revised to make them impractical and incompatible with international standards, complicate design calculations, and increase unnecessary costs in construction. The revised National Building Code was published in the Gazette on Thursday and brought into effect. The new code will provide guidance for the construction of not only buildings but also underground structures such as dams, power plants, and tunnels for hydroelectric projects.

Urban Development Minister Kulman Ghising said that this revised code is a milestone for building a secure future for the country. Minister Ghising expressed confidence that buildings built according to the new code will minimize the loss of life and property due to earthquakes in the coming days. He urged the local level, engineers and the general public to implement the code strictly in the construction of new buildings.

The revised code includes a new seismic zoning map covering all 753 spatial levels, providing clear guidelines for site-specific design. A special map has been included for the Kathmandu Valley soil type, improving soil classification. New load combination formulas have been updated to include snow, fluid pressure, and soil pressure, and new equations for stability testing have also been updated.

New criteria have been included to improve the resilience of structures, making buildings more energy-efficient during earthquakes. Improvements have been made to control soft stories and torsional irregularities for the stability of tall buildings. This will reduce the cost of building construction.

The new code has been prepared by incorporating the suggestions received through discussions and interactions with stakeholders including professional designers, Structural Engineers' Association, Nepal (SEANep), professional societies, university academics, etc. In order to make the building code user-friendly and easy to use promptly, the code arrangements used by various countries have been studied and technically revised after discussions with internal and external experts.

The old code had technical difficulties in design due to the inadequacy of some international standards. The revised code will reduce building damage in earthquakes, increase human life safety, maintain uniformity and transparency in design and construction, facilitate scientific evaluation in the local building approval process, reduce long-term costs, simplify maintenance, and provide clear guidelines for engineers and designers.