KVPT’s Patan Darbar Earthquake Response Campaign - Work to Date - September 2016

After the massive April 25 earthquake, a lesson that this
generation learned, or an important realization that
emerged for them from that experience, pertains to human
safety. In other words, saving human life as soon
as an earthquake hits is top priority. What is also true is
that earthquakes do not kill people; rather, our weaker
structures collapse due to the shock, leading to human
casualties. Therefore, there is a common voice among
the general public, experts, and policymakers that the
structures to be constructed, reconstructed, repaired
from now onward need to be earthquake-resistant, or
they should be the type that reduce seismic risk. Government
policy and programming, too, has placed a special
emphasis on the terms ‘earthquake-resistance’ in the
context of constructing structures. It is only too obvious
that this generation, which experienced the trauma of
the earthquake, has initiated a debate on the construction
of earthquake-resistant structures and seismic risk
reduction. This debate is also strong in the context of
restoration and rebuilding of monuments.
Monuments are important because of their art and architecture.
They are also important from the perspective of
their construction technology. As construction technology
and art creation technology are an important genre
of intangible cultural heritage, they cannot be changed
in the name of constructing and restoring earthquakeresistant
structures. The purpose of preservation is also
to continue traditional construction technology. In this
context, special arrangements need to be made with regard
to the restoration and rebuilding of monuments
damaged by the earthquake.
As the Ancient Monument Conservation Procedure,
2064 (2006), currently under implementation, does not
seem to be adequate to address all the questions that have
emerged after the earthquake, a need was felt for a separate
set of guidelines for the rebuilding and restoration of
the monuments damaged by the earthquake. As a result,
the Department of Archaeology, Ministry of Culture,
Tourism and Civil Aviation, Government of Nepal has
formulated and implemented the Basic Guidelines for
the Preservation and Rebuilding of Monuments Damaged
by the Earthquake, 2072 (2016).
1. Title and Commencement
(a) The name of this set of guidelines shall be Basic
Guidelines for the Preservation and Rebuilding of Monuments
Damaged by the Earthquake, 2072 (2016).
(b) This set of guidelines shall come into force effective
from the date of approval by the Department of Archaeology,
Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation,
Government of Nepal.
2. Definitions
Classified Monuments are monuments classified into
grades A, B, C, and D by the Department of Archaeology,
based on the monuments’ significance and ownership,
in accordance with the provisions contained in the
Ancient Monument Preservation Act.
Non-classified Monuments are monuments that have
not been classified in accordance with the provisions
contained in the Ancient Monument Preservation Act.
Rehabilitation is the overall process that brings monuments
to reuse through continuation of the monuments’
originality and physical-cultural significance and living
character, in compliance with all methods and procedures
of preservation.
Renovation is the act or process of bringing monuments
to reuse through partial rebuilding or complete maintenance,
restoration, etc., of structures that are weakened
because they have been damaged by a natural disaster,
or they have grown old, or fallen apart for other reasons,
based on the evidence available.
Retrofitting refers to the structural improvement meas-
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