Nepal’s Historic Buildings must be Made Quake Proof in Reconstruction, Says Archaeologist

The valuable ancient buildings in Nepal must be rebuilt and made quake-resistant to withstand seismic waves after hundreds of years of culture and history were shattered into pieces by a massive earthquake, a Nepalese archaeologist said on Sunday. "We have to be very careful and we have to rebuild it, reconstruct it with some new technology. The old technology, now it is very difficult to, I think, preserve those old buildings for a long time. So we have to compromise, we have to manage with new technology. New technology means concrete, cement and iron beams. And these new materials will make our monuments stronger. It will strengthen these monuments. It will certainly make them earthquake proof also," said Dr. Shaphalya Amatya, executive director of Heritage Nepal when referring to the damaged Durbar Square -- the city's ancient heart. According to Nepalese government statistics, more than 400,000 buildings collapsed in the magnitude-8.1 earthquake that struck central Nepal on April 25. At least 14 historic buildings have been destroyed or severely damaged, including Kathmandu Durbar Square, one of the three Durbar Squares in the Kathmandu Valley, all of which are UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The square, once a massive complex home to palaces, temples and courtyards as a world-renowned sightseeing attraction, has been reduced to piles of rubble as search and rescue teams continue to comb through the debris to find more bodies. Some of the heritage sites destroyed or damaged in the quake, such as the Dharahara Tower and Kathmandu Durbar Square, have suffered a similar fate before and have been rebuilt, but not necessarily by what engineers would consider modern standards, said Singh, head of the Old Royal Palace Museum of Kathmandu Durbar Square. "Many of the traditional temples have heavy roofs and some of them are made of metal. So once there was an earthquake, the temple would collapse. All the temples should not be roofed with metal so that they can be preserved much longer," she said. Amatya said it is important for the Nepalese government to protect the debris of the heritage sites and repair them in the upcoming post-quake reconstruction. However, he added that reconstruction should not start hastily because experts from around the world need to do serious research on which new materials are right and then determine what steps should be taken. More on: http://newscontent.cctv.com/NewJsp/ne... Subscribe us on Youtube:    / @cctvvideonewsagency   CCTV+ official website: http://newscontent.cctv.com/ LinkedIn:   / cctv-news-content   Facebook:   / 756877521031964   Twitter:   / newscontentplus