Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Physical Infrastructure and Transport, and Urban Development Kul Man Ghising has released the guidelines for the design of structures to be built from bamboo.

The guidelines have been made public amidst a function, jointly organised by the Ministry of Urban Development and Habitat for Humanity Nepal, on Friday.

The local government representatives and experts from the engineering community were present at the programme. Minister Ghising said that bamboo, which is a native Nepali construction material, should be encouraged to be used as a construction material.

He said that if bamboo can be used as a construction material, it can create employment and strengthen the rural economy, and can also help reduce the trade deficit by discouraging imported construction materials.

He suggested finding an alternative to zinc, the most widely used material for roofs in Nepali houses, by using bamboo.

Encouraging commercial cultivation of bamboo, he said that using it as a green building material would have a positive impact on the economy by minimising the impact of climate change.

He added that bamboo should also be used in the hydropower construction camps.

Habitat for Humanity Nepal Chief Eliza Sthapit expressed happiness over the issuance of the guidelines and congratulated and thanked the Ministry of Urban Development for this historic work.

Sthapit said that the organisation will always support bamboo promotional activities in the future. The guidelines have set clear standards for bamboo harvesting, grading, chemical treatment, storage and use.

Simple and easy design methods and sample house designs with necessary details have been included to build earthquake-resistant, environmentally friendly and cost-effective structures using bamboo.