A new initiative is under way to harness Nepal's abundant bamboo resources to help rebuild some of the 730,000 structures affected by the April 2015 earthquake that are now in need of upgrading.

The initiative is funded by the Common Fund for Commodities (CFC) and implemented by the International Network for Bamboo and Rattan (INBAR) in partnership with the government of Nepal, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development and ABARI, a research and design firm that promotes the use of natural materials in contemporary design practices.

Over the last 15 years, INBAR and private-sector partners in Nepal have developed a number of modern bamboo building systems that meet ISO standards and have excellent anti-seismic properties. According to INBAR, these systems and the related technologies are now mature and can offer an affordable, durable, renewable and rapidly deployable source of building materials for Nepalese communities affected by the earthquake.

Bamboo has higher tensile strength than steel and greater compressive strength than concrete. Image credit: Pixabay.INBAR says the sustainable use of Nepal‘s 63,000 hectares of bamboo forests will help generate local employment; reduce vulnerability to future earthquakes, as bamboo has higher tensile strength than steel and greater compressive strength than concrete; remove the need for imports, as construction material will be sourced locally; and protect foreign currency reserves.

A national workshop, "Bamboo for Sustainable Post-Disaster Reconstruction in Nepal," held in Kathmandu on March 1, emphasized the importance of bamboo in reconstruction efforts to a wide range of stakeholders—including ministers and officials from the government of Nepal, industry experts, and representatives from NGOs and the public. During the workshop, participants highlighted the various post-disaster programs currently being undertaken in Nepal and discussed potential opportunities to scale up and incorporate CFC project models into larger post-disaster reconstruction programs.

The current CFC project will build 150 homes and 10 transitional schools by May 2016. According to INBAR, the major success of the project has been the validation and approval of bamboo-based school design. The school will now be one of the recommended designs of the government.

In addition to its use in building and construction, bamboo also helps to restore degraded lands and stabilize areas affected by landslides. The government of Nepal has explicitly recognized this benefit in its post-disaster review and intends to cultivate bamboo extensively for this purpose as well.