Kathmandu, August 18, 2016: Realizing the need to provide guidance to the people with the reconstruction of houses, US Embassy Youth Advisory Council (USYC) launched a mobile application and a website amidst a programme organized in the capital yesterday.
Dinesh Kumar Thapaliya, Secretary at the Ministry for Information and Communications; and the spokesperson of US Embassy Nepal jointly launched the Econstruction App and the website (econstruction.org) on the occasion.
Clarifying the main purpose of creating the app and the website, Pagyan Bhattarai, a member of USYC 2015 stated that as people have still been facing problems in identifying the correct way of building the houses and materials for building purposes, USYC came up with a project called ‘Learn to Teach For Reconstruction’, that ultimately led to the creation of the app and website. “People are often confused with the suggestions given by engineers as they are provided with variety of suggestions depending on each individual engineer. People often have been cheated by being suggested for the low quality materials and wrong way of constructing houses,†he said, explaining what triggered them to come up with the app and website. “Moreover, the uneven settlement seen in the city areas is what further provoked us in creating the app and website,†he added.
The main focus of the project is the reconstruction of houses after the earthquake that struck Nepal on April 25 and May 12 last year. Though many of the houses were destroyed in the quake, very few of them are reconstructed. People still have insecurities and confusions regarding the kind of houses they should reconstruct. Hence, the app and website come in hand in a way such that people can easily clear up their confusions.
Additionally, as people have a misconception that only the cemented houses are earthquake resistant, the app and website seek to make people understand that even the houses made up of mud and bricks can be earthquake resistant.
Available in both English and Nepali, the app and website include a calculator feature to help users make a rough estimate of the quantity of materials required and also the tentative cost for the overall construction.
The app is available to download from Google Play for Android smartphones and it is soon going to be available in iOS also.
 Photo Courtesy: US Embassy Nepal
By Ganga Gautam
Intern Reporter, Glocal Khabar
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