A Study of the Compliance of Residential Buildings with Design Standards and MRT Norms in Ghorahi Sub- Metropolitan City

Abstract

Urbanization is accelerating globally, Ghorahi sub-metropolitan city is one of the rising urbanization cities in Dang district of Lumbini Province. Urban expansion in the region is largely driven by informal construction practices, with more than 70% of houses failing to meet building code requirements, which heightens their susceptibility to disasters such as the 2023 Jajarkot & 2015 Gorkha earthquakes. This study assesses the level of building code compliance in designed residential RCC structures within Ghorahi sub metropolitan city, considering both completed and ongoing construction. A qualitative research design was employed, integrating literature review, field measurement & inspections and questionnaire survey & KII to collect and interpret relevant data. Out of 10 completed buildings, only 3 were fully consistent with the approved designs, while most showed variations in staircase dimensions, waist slab depth, and room sizes. For under-construction structures, compliance was high in the sizing of major structural components such as columns (100%), but there were notable gaps in other areas, including concrete mix proportioning (only 5.4% compliance) and rebar lapping (54.54% compliant in columns and 13.6% non-compliant in beams). Although 84.37% of masons demonstrated good understanding of earthquake-related concepts, only 6.25% were aware of specific building code requirements. According to masons, the primary reason behind non compliance was owner influence, accounting for 52.13%. Additionally, comparative study with Godawari, sisne & Birendranagar municipality has done and shown in table & charts.