Nepal Limits Buildings to Two Stories in Reconstruction
Following two damaging earthquakes in Nepal since April 25, and continuing afterstocks, the government has ordered a halt to all new construction activities, stopped issuing building permits and limited to two stories those structures already begun until July 15, when a revised national building code is set to be issued. Media reports indicate it will carry tougher penalities for violations and be better enforced.
The May 18 edicts follow a strong aftershock on May 12 that measured 7.3-magnitude; the one in April measured 7.9. The quakes have destroyed hundreds of thousands of homes, office buildings and other structures in the capital of Kathmandu and surrounding hard-hit regions, and killed from 7,500 to 8,500 people, according to estimates.