Nepal turns to bamboo to rebuild after quake

 Nepal is turning to bamboo, nicknamed "vegetable steel", as it rebuilds homes and schools after last year's devastating earthquakes which left hundreds of thousands homeless.

"Bamboo is a great material. The biggest enemy (in a quake) is weight so bamboo is perfect because it is light, flexible and very strong," said Nepalese architect Nripal Adhikary.

"It can be as strong as steel, but it's much more ecological because it doesn't need energy to produce. People call it 'vegetable steel'."
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Twin earthquakes in April and May 2015 killed almost 9,000 people and destroyed nearly a million buildings in the Himalayan nation. Donors have pledged $4.1 billion for reconstruction, but rebuilding has been delayed by a political crisis.
 [jpost.com by Reuters]
8/3/16