Non-governmental organisation (NGO) RES Nepal has recently completed Bamboo Eco Housing Project in Nepal. Highlighting the merits of bamboo, architect Mira Gyawali of DUDBC said, “Of all the advantages of bamboo housing technology, the most important is its low cost that doesn’t sacrifice quality, durability and affordability for the poor.”

A government subsidy can further reduce the cost, she said. “The manufacturing and distribution of low-cost bamboo houses itself will provide employment to a range of people and there will be extra employment generation in its forward and backward linkages such as cultivation, harvesting, primary processing, transport and marketing of bamboo,” said chairman of SLTD Centre Bhuwaneshwor Lal Shrestha.

With proper treatment, bamboo provides a service-life of up to 30 years. Target groups’ interest and their economical condition are to be considered for the project, said Shrestha. The cost of bamboo house depends on the size of house, bamboo treatment, design, finishing and use of other materials.

According to young architect Yatra Shrama who was involved in rural housing projects of DUDBC, durability can be enhanced with careful choice of bamboo species, preservation, and use of complementary construction materials and replacement of outdated or deteriorated parts on a regular basis. Bamboo can make a viable substitute to control indiscriminate felling of trees, she said. RES Nepal has already completed 18 pre-fabricated bamboo houses for the Kamainyas on the project site. In addition, RES Nepal set up a bamboo nursery in the project area. Besides, construction of bamboo toilets were also undertaken. The project had four components — bamboo housing, bamboo-based enterprises, energy production, and resource rehabilitation and was implemented in the Kanchanpur district.

The main target group of the project was Kamaiya — recently-freed bonded labourers. Likewise, they are producing more than 30 products made of bamboo which are marketed through an outlet. These products have demand in local market as well as in nearby Indian towns. Bamboo Trust Fund has been established, which is working for setting up bamboo-based small scale enterprises.

A national level sharing workshop was also organised at Kathmandu to disseminate the achievements and learning of the project.

courtesy: The Himalayan Times, 23 June 2010