Kathmandu City Research Articles

Seismic Performance of Partially Dismantled Buildings

This study carries out the comparative study of Seismic Performance of residential buildings after partial dismantling for road widening works in Kathmandu city. Two types of buildings were taken for the study, i.e. 4 storey building and 6 storey building. The Buildings were assessed for bare frames. The detail level of the seismic evaluation was carried out by preparing 3-D modeling of the buildings in SAP2000 software by nonlinear static pushover analysis. The capacity of the buildings has been found significantly decreased after the partial dismantling of the building due to the road widening works. The behavior of buildings has been found like a strong beam and weak column mechanism.Journal of the Institute of Engineering, 2017, 13(1): 69-77

A Study of Investors’ Attitude towards Mutual fund in Kathmandu City, Nepal

Mutual fund is an investment tool which assembles the savings of millions of small investors into huge capital formation. The primary goal behind investment in mutual fund is to earn goods return with comparatively low risk. The main purpose of doing this research is to find out a relationship between selected demographic and socioeconomic characteristics and investors’ attitude towards mutual. Another purpose of this research was to rank different sources investors use to make investment decision on the basis on their preference. By using Likert scale (0 to 1) and three levels (positive, neutral, negative) in structured questionnaire, researchers have measured the level of attitude towards mutual fund and levels of preference of sources are to investment decision. It is found that, the investors attitude is not independent towards mutual fund on the basis of demographic and socio economic variable (age, gender, monthly income, investment level, educational qualification). Also, among selected sources, investors provide their highest preference to Brokers/Agents to make investment. The study has suggested some important policy measures such as regulatory change, creating investors awareness, encouraging the private companies to raise fund through mutual fund.

“My Family Are Supportive . . . But People in My Village Mock Me”: Bonding and Bridging Capital among Women Pursuing Secondary Education in Kathmandu, Nepal

Women’s secondary schools have become an option for educational attainment in Nepal. We assess bonding and bridging social capital available to women who attend the Utprerana Women Secondary School (UWSS) in Nepal’s major city of Kathmandu. Using qualitative approaches, we consider the social capital available to women that both encourages and limits women’s educational access and address the networks women build when attending school. Bonding capital both encourages women to pursue their education and demands that women conform to traditional roles. School attendance prompts a change in bonding social capital, accumulated with family prior to school attendance. Women add to their bonding social capital by strengthening relationships with classmates and teachers. Women’s school attendance improved bridging social capital by enhancing future opportunities. Bonding social capital formed within the school provides emotional support, personal space from domestic responsibilities, and a sense of freedom, while demanding women’s conformity to expectations for student conduct.

Diagnosing Poor Performance and Enhancing Motivation of Employees

This study attempts to examine the diagnosing poor performance and enhancing motivating employees in the banks in Kathmandu City. Major objective of the research is to identify the causes of poor performance in banks employee to motivate them. Fourty human resource managers of the banks are the sample of the study. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics and regression analysis is used for data analysis purpose. It was found equitable rewards system, using internal and external incentives, facilitating performance, and linking performance to rewards and discipline are the major factors for diagnosing performance of employees in the banks.

Brand Loyalty of Baby Diaper Products

This study tries to measure the factors influencing brand loyalty of baby diapers in Kathmandu City. Primary cross section data were collected using structured questionnaires. 200 working mothers were chosen as sample of the study. Reliability analysis, descriptive statistics and regression analysis was done to filter the questions, to summarize the data and to test the hypotheses. This research confirmed convenience, product quality, design, brand experience and brand image factors are important factors for brand loyalty of baby diaper products. Price has no support for brand loyalty.

Effect of Advertisement in Consumer Behavior

This study is intended to analyze the impact of advertisement in consumer behavior. The purpose of this paper is to examine the impact of advertisement in consumer behavior. Convenience sampling is used for the study. All together 250 questionnaires were distributed to the customers from Kathmandu City and only 200 questionnaires were received. Most of the respondents have taken advertising as promotional tools that can convince the customers towards the products the study shows that the customers are highly affected by the advertisement as it creates curiosity on the customers and it provides information of the products, which is also important for the customers before buying any goods and services. So there is a positive impact of advertisement on consumer behavior. According to the respondents, television is more effective media to influence and convince the audience towards the advertised products.

Open spaces and risk perception in post-earthquake Kathmandu city

Perceptions of seismic risks, among other factors, are influenced by urban environments. This relationship is investigated in this paper, in relation to open spaces. A comparative study of two communities in Kathmandu, Nepal with the context of 2015 earthquake was conducted using data gathered from household surveys and expert interviews. Escape behaviour in relation to open spaces was examined by analysing the correlation with a risk perception index (RPI) which is a novel approach in seismic risk perception studies. Additionally, point density analysis of surveyed houses and visualization of escape routes and destination followed by the respondents offer insights into the spatial relationship with perceived risk. Furthermore, expert interviews were used to validate the findings and highlight the important relationship between perceived risks and open spaces. The findings suggest that open spaces are a key component of disaster response as they are safe locations and offer spaces for community that enables mutual coping among its members. As such it directly or indirectly affect people's perception of seismic risk. It was found that medium sized communal spaces are preferred within a distance of 200 m as immediate safe destinations. The choices for such spaces are dependent on the built environment of the site given by its layout, landmarks, building density and building height. The choices of open spaces as shelter locations are influenced by duration of stay such as availability of drinking water, public lavatory and electricity are crucial for short term stay where as ownership and economic capabilities are vital for long term stay.

Determination of site effect and anelastic attenuation at Kathmandu, Nepal Himalaya region and its use in estimation of source parameters of 25 April 2015 Nepal earthquake Mw = 7.8 and its aftershocks including the 12 May 2015 Mw = 7.3 event

The destructive Mw = 7.8 Nepal earthquake happened in Nepal Himalaya, 80 km NW of Kathmandu city on 25 April 2015. A number of aftershocks in which one of them is Mw = 7.3 which occurred on 12 May 2015 are observed around the Kathmandu city of Nepal. In this paper, strong motion data of Nepal earthquake and its eight aftershocks having magnitude range 5.3–7.3, recorded at Kathmandu station is used to determine site effects and attenuation factor. Kathmandu city, capital of Nepal, is situated in a valley which consists of sediments of more than 300 m depth. Hence strong motion data recorded at Kathmandu station is strongly affected by site effect and anelastic attenuation. In this work, S-phase spectra recorded at Kathmandu station are corrected for site effect and anelastic attenuation to compute the source parameters of the events. The site effects and anelastic attenuation are estimated from inversion of strong motion data by using the inversion technique suggested by Joshi (Bull Seismol Soc Am 96:2165–2180, 2006a). The shear wave quality factor (Q β (f)) is computed at Kathmandu station by using the inversion scheme as Q β (f) = 68f0.58. The site effects and attenuation factor obtained by inversion technique are used to correct the spectrum for site effect and anelastic attenuation. The corrected source spectrum is compared with theoretical (Brune in J Geophys Res 78:4997–5009, 1970) spectrum to estimate various source parameters. Both horizontal component (North–South and East–West) are utilized to estimate the source parameters of 25 April 2015 Mw = 7.8 Nepal earthquake and its aftershocks. The best-fit theoretical spectrum provides final values of source parameters, i.e., stress drop, seismic moment, and source radius as 48.7 bars, 5.96 × 1027 dyne cm and 37.75 km, respectively, for the 25 April 2015 Mw = 7.8 earthquake and 1.40 × 1027 dyne cm, 44.7 bars, and 23.90 km, respectively, for the 12 May 2015 Mw = 7.3 earthquake.

Integration of stress testing with graph theory to assess the resilience of urban road networks under seismic hazards

Transportation networks daily provide accessibility and crucial services to societies. However, they must also maintain an acceptable level of service to critical infrastructures in the case of disruptions, especially during natural disasters. We have developed a method for assessing the resilience of transportation network topology when exposed to environmental hazards. This approach integrates graph theory with stress testing methodology and involves five basic steps: (1) establishment of a scenario set that covers a range of seismic damage potential in the network, (2) assessment of resilience using various graph-based metrics, (3) topology-based simulations, (4) evaluation of changes in graph-based metrics, and (5) examination of resilience in terms of spatial distribution of critical nodes and the entire network topology. Our case study was from the city of Kathmandu in Nepal, where the earthquake on April 25, 2015, followed by a major aftershock on May 12, 2015, led to numerous casualties and caused significant damage. Therefore, it is a good example for demonstrating and validating the developed methodology. The results presented here indicate that the proposed approach is quite efficient and accurate in assisting stakeholders when evaluating the resilience of transportation networks based on their topology.

Status of natural springs in the Melamchi region of the Nepal Himalayas in the context of climate change

Natural springs and small rivers are the major sources of water for drinking, livestock feeding, irrigation and other purposes in the Middle Hills of Nepal. The Melamchi area is in the northeastern part of Kathmandu from where the Melamchi River is considered as a major source of drinking water for the people of Kathmandu city. This paper examines the characteristics of natural springs in terms of their distribution, discharge, water utilization and conservation in the context of climate change. Out of the total surveyed springs of the Melamchi area, 93% are permanent and two-thirds of the total springs are located in mid-elevation (1500–2500 m). One-fourth of the total springs are small in terms of discharge and are used for multiple purposes such as drinking, livestock, irrigation and household cleaning. Around 45% of the springs provide a source of drinking water for up to five households. Our work has shown that the water volume in about 30% of the springs has decreased over the last decade. The springs located in mid-elevation with discharge less than 5 liters per minute are more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and anthropogenic activities. The 2015 Nepal earthquake had a huge and immediate impact on the water volume of the springs in our study with an immediate drying effect in about 18% of the springs.

Learning to 'Be/Live' in Kathmandu City: Kirat Migrants' Transformation

This paper, based on auto/ethnographic inquiry, explores how particular urbanised Kirats (internal migrant ethnic community members in Kathmandu city from the East of Nepal) learn to live in Kathmandu city. The paper argues that the formal education in Nepal, guided by Western modern worldviews as hegemony, is promoting imported instrumental knowledge and skills, which are impractical and less relevant in the job market, particularly in the city context. The paper further argues that the work based learning support them to transform to become particular urban professionals. However, those Kirats are made forced-learners in urban structures for their adaptation in a new context. Such forced-learning is subjugating indigenous knowledge inherited to them from their ancestors and accumulated in their village life.

Oral health knowledge and oral hygiene practices of pre-school teachers in a selected region of Kathmandu city

Background: Dental caries and periodontal diseases are the most common oral health problems seen globally. Schools provides an ideal environment for all forms of education, including oral health and teachers can be instrumental in imparting it. The teachers, therefore, need to be well versed in the knowledge regarding oral health as well as practice good oral hygiene measures to teach the children. Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess pre-school teachers’ oral health knowledge and oral hygiene practices in a selected region of Kathmandu city. Methodology: An observational, descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on preschoolteachers in a selected region of Kathmandu city. The teachers of pre-school level completed a self-administered structured questionnaire on knowledge of oral health and oral hygiene practices Result: The pre-school teachers had more knowledge about dental caries than about periodontal diseases. Overall, scores of school teacher’s (n=95) oral health knowledge were inadequate (54.7%) but the oral hygiene practices (69.5%) were found to be good. Conclusion: The pre-school teachers had inadequate oral health knowledge but good oral hygiene practices. This shows a need for training and motivation of pre-school teachers’ regardingthe oral health education and promotion through school-based programs.

Shifting Identity of Tamu Lhosar From Cultural To Political

Tamu Lhosar is Gurungs' New Year which is celebrated every year in the 15th of Poush (approximately December 30) is the biggest festival for Gurungs (Tamu). Tamu Lhosar has become a national festival and enjoys public holiday. This paper aims at exploring out the changing practice of Tamu Lhosar celebrated in Kathmandu Valley through ethnographic approach. Interview, interaction, participant’s observation were done to gather information. Besides, relevant literature was reviewed and, speech given in the program, press release and media news were also analyzed. I tried to apply both in emic and etic perspective in this research. The research found that Tamu Lhosar was stated to celebrate in Kathmandu in 2036 BS (1979 A.D) and then every year. It has been celebrating not only for preserving their culture, cultural identity, and uniting all Tamus residing in Kathmandu valley but also for raising awareness, demonstrating strength and advocating for their rights and issues. Along with changing socio-cultural and political context of the country, the practice of Tamu Lhosar is changing. The move is looking towards social and political transformation. In the starting years, it was celebrated with aim to preserve and promote culture, language and cultural identity of the Gurung community. But nowadays, its purpose has become wider and multipurpose. Tamu Lhosar is more focused in cities and urban areas. The inter organizations (Tamu samaj) of Gurung community actively participate in the festivals demonstrating their folk songs, dance, dresses and ritual activities. Now, Gurungs use this festival also as a platform to expose their cultural identity and political power as well. The big mass of the community that gather every year in the open central space of Kathmandu city has drawn the attraction of the people nationwide, activist and major political parties and leaders. The young generation are also boosting up the importance of Tamu Lhosar in the urban context. The celebration of Tamu Lhosar no more carry the message of their cultural preservation but its practice has shifted beyond it and demands for the institutionalization of their rights through their own federal state in the country. The ethnic identity of Gurungs thus now is marching for political identity.Himalayan Journal of Sociology & Anthropology - Vol. VII (2016), Page: 96-110

The 2015 Gorkha earthquake investigated from radar satellites: slip and stress modeling along the MHT

The active collision at the Himalayas combines crustal shortening and thickening, associated with the development of hazardous seismogenic faults. The 2015 Kathmandu earthquake largely affected Kathmandu city and partially ruptured a previously identified seismic gap. With a magnitude of Mw 7.8 as determined by the GEOFON seismic network, the 25 April 2015 earthquake displays uplift of the Kathmandu basin constrained by interferometrically processed ALOS-2, RADARSAT-2 and Sentinel-1 satellite radar data. An area of about 7,000 km² in the basin showed ground uplift locally exceeding 2 m, and a similarly large area (approx. 9000 km2) showed subsidence in the north, both of which could be simulated with a fault that is localized beneath the Kathmandu basin at a shallow depth of 5-15 km. Coulomb stress calculations reveal that the same fault adjacent to the Kathmandu basin experienced stress increase, similar as at sub-parallel faults of the thin skinned nappes, exactly at the location where the largest aftershock occurred (Mw 7.3 on 12. May, 2015). Therefore this study provides insights into the shortening and uplift tectonics of the Himalayas and shows the stress redistribution associated with the earthquake.

AvadānasandJātakasin the Newar Tradition of the Kathmandu Valley: Ritual Performances of Mahāyāna Buddhist Narratives

AbstractAmong all the Sanskrit story narratives available in the vast archive of textual collections in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal, certain Buddhist tales among them found special provenance in the Mahāyāna culture of the Newars, the indigenous inhabitants of this surviving oasis of later Indic Hindu‐Buddhist civilization. This paper will examine how two stories, theSṛṇgabheri Avadānaand the Siṃhalasārthabāhu Avadāna, have been domesticated into the local religious field and adopted with special meaning for subgroups in the local society. The former recounts the consecutive, linked lives of a husband and wife, in a story of karmic retribution and reunion, a narrative that has a role in contemporary Buddhist widow mourning rites at the major stūpa in Nepal, Svayambhu. The latter, among the most popularjātakanarratives in the Buddhist world, relates the fate of a group of Buddhist merchants who are shipwrecked and captured by cannibalistic demonesses; in Nepal, this story was transposed into a tale of trans‐Himalayan conflict, and its central figure is regarded as a hometown hero. Until today, a three‐day festival procession of him circumnavigates the city of Kathmandu. This paper will explore these local domestications of Buddhist stories and analyze how these traditional celebrations have changed in the context of the shifting regional and political landscape of Nepal and the region.

Multidrug resistant Vibrio cholerae O1 from clinical and environmental samples in Kathmandu city.

BackgroundCholera, an infectious disease caused by Vibrio cholerae, is a major public health problem and is a particularly burden in developing countries including Nepal. Although the recent worldwide outbreaks of cholera have been due to V. cholerae El Tor, the classical biotypes are still predominant in Nepal. Serogroup O1 of the V. cholerae classical biotype was the primary cause of a cholera outbreak in Kathmandu in 2012. Thus, this study was designed to know serotypes and biotypes of V. cholerae strains causing recent outbreak with reference to drug resistant patterns. Moreover, we also report the toxigenic strains of V. cholerae from both environmental and clinical specimens by detecting the ctx gene.MethodsTwenty four V. cholerae (n = 22 from stool samples and n = 2 from water samples) isolated in this study were subjected to Serotyping and biotyping following the standard protocols as described previously. All of the isolates were tested for antimicrobial susceptibility patterns using the modified Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method as recommended by CLSI guidelines. The screening of the ctx genes (ctxA2-B gene) were performed by PCR method using a pair of primers; C2F (5′-AGGTGTAAAATTCCTTGACGA-3′) and C2R (5′-TCCTCAGGGTATCCTTCATC-3′) to identify the toxigenic strains of V. cholerae.ResultsAmong twenty four V. cholerae isolates, 91.7% were clinical and 8.3% were from water samples. Higher rate of V. cholerae infection was found among adults of aged group 20–30 years. All isolates were serogroups O1 of the V. cholerae classical biotype and sub serotype, Ogawa. All isolates were resistant to ampicillin, nalidixic acid and cotrimoxazole. 90.9% were resistant to erythromycin however, tetracycline was found to be the most effective drug for the isolates. All isolates were multidrug resistant (MDR) and possessed a ctx gene of approximately 400 base pairs indicating the toxigenic strains.ConclusionHundred percent strains of V. cholerae were MDR possessing a ctx gene. It suggests that toxigenic strains be identified and proper antibiotic susceptibility testing be conducted. This will allow effective empirical therapy to be used to treat and control cholera.

Lived experiences of health problems of elderly residing in urban areas, Kathmandu: Pilot Study

Introduction: Globally, number of old age population is increasing with advancement of biomedical technology. Old age is the time associated with biological, psychological and social changes which situate elderly to acquire different health related problems. Objectives: To find out lived experiences of elderly regarding their health problems residing in homes of Kathmandu city. Methods: Qualitative hermeneutic phenomenology approach was adopted. Researcher selected purposively four elderly residing in an urban area of Kathmandu Valley as the study participants. In-depth interview was conducted by using in-depth interview guideline, as well as medical records, field notes and observation clues were recorded. Interview was conducted in Nepali Language and was audio taped. The recording was transcribed by the researcher herself, and the data were analyzed thematically. Finally, different sources of data were triangulated. Results: The four main themes identified were physical health problems, impaired functional abilities, psychological and social problems. Experienced physical health problems were joint pain, hearing and vision deficit, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, gastritis and fall injury. Impaired Functional abilities in performing activities of daily living was commonly experienced problems. Loneliness and decreased recent memory power were the psychological problems. Being neglected by family members, financial constraints for treatment and improper care during illness were the discerned social problems. Conclusion: Elderly are suffering from different physical health problems, impaired functional abilities, as well as various psycho-social problems. Thus, health promotional activities need to be promoted for decreasing morbidity of elderly. Family members need to be focused in the care of elderly through national policy.

Potential Benefits of Introducing Integrated Solid Waste Management Approach in Developing Countries: A Case Study in Kathmandu City

Rapid economic and population growth experienced in last decade has brought significant increase in amount of urban waste generation in many developing countries like Nepal. Increasing waste generation created many problems including littering and dumping in and around outskirts of urban areas. Main problems associated with waste management in most developing countries are 1) low waste collection rates, 2) low recycling levels (recycling limited to informal recyclers), 3) littering, and 4) inappropriate final disposal. In addition to urban environmental pollution, inappropriate disposal causes generation of Greenhouse gasses such as methane gas and leachates from landfill sites. It is emphasized that most recycling is done by informal sector, restricted to materials having high market value like metals, paper and plastics. Here, we identify the potential environmental and socio-economic benefits of introducing organic waste recovery coupled with expansion of recycling of inorganic waste through cooperation with informal sector and establishment of a well-designed and managed sanitary landfill. Kathmandu city was used as a model case and Life Cycle Assessment tool was applied for evaluating potential environmental impacts. Four different scenarios were proposed based on feasible options that focus on organic recovery and informal recycling at transfer station prior to movement to landfill site. Scenarios were evaluated in terms of Global Warming Potential, Biochemical Oxygen Demand, final disposal waste, and recycling levels and energy recovery. We suggest that introduction of bio-gasification of commercial waste and composting of household waste coupled with enhanced recycling and sanitary landfill might provide highest environmental and socio-economic benefits.

A preliminary study of the content and distribution of pesticide residues in soil samples from the Kathmandu valley, Nepal .

The increasing use of pesticides for agricultural production is causing soil pollution problems in different parts of Nepal. Uncontaminated agricultural soils are of great importance as they have a direct impact on food security and human health. The objective of this study was to investigate the quality and quantity of pesticides in soil samples from districts near the capital city of Kathmandu, from where fruit and vegetables are brought to the city for consumption. A questionnaire survey was carried out in four districts around Kathmandu city to investigate the types of pesticides that are most commonly used in these districts. A total of 15 soil samples were taken at a depth of 10 cm and four complete soil profiles were sampled at three different depths (10 cm, 30 cm and 50 cm) on the farms of those who were interviewed. A total of four replicates of each soil sample were extracted and analyzed. The pH, soil texture and organic carbon content of the soil samples were analyzed to understand the general soil characteristics. The QuEChERS method used for the analysis of food samples was modified and applied to the soil samples. An HPLC-MS/MS was used for the qualification and quantification of the pesticide residues in the soil samples. The questionnaire survey revealed that carbendazim, chlorpyrifos-methyl, parathion-methyl, imidacloprid, metalaxyl, dimethoate, omethoate and dichlorvos were the most commonly used pesticides in the area studied. The chemical analysis showed that soil samples from all the districts except Kathmandu city were contaminated with various pesticides. The soil samples collected at the depth of 10 cm were found to be contaminated with the fungicide carbendazim and the insecticide chlorpyrifos-methyl at rates of up to 0.038 mg kg<sup>-1</sup> and the systemic insecticide imidacloprid was found at up to 0.016 mg kg<sup>-1</sup>. The study of soil samples taken at different depths (10 cm, 30 cm and 50 cm) showed that pesticides were homogenously distributed with soil depth. The recovery between 77.5-112%, linearity between 0.01 mg kg<sup>-l</sup> - 2 mg kg<sup>-l</sup> with correlation factors R2 higher than 0.99 and LOQ between 0.2 µg kg<sup>-1</sup>- 6.25 µg kg<sup>-l</sup> were found. Some samples were contaminated with parathion-methyl, a highly carcinogenic organophosphorous insecticide, even though these pesticides had already been banned. For the first time, this study provides information about soil contamination levels due to pesticides in Central Nepal and shows that further research and information campaigns for farmers are necessary.

Livelihood Change and Household Strategies: Social Divergence of the Working Class in Dhading

How do households, in an agrarian setting under transition, reposition themselves amidst the increasing opportunities and constraints posed by expansive capitalist market? Do household responses exhibit any pattern that helps us understand long term social change? If so, what theoretical significance does such a pattern instigate in the wider political economic context of shifting class formations? This article mainly discusses recent dynamics in the organisation of production in Mahesh Khola, the research site in the South-East Dhading, from the perspective of intra-class divergence and social differentiation. It argues that the working class in Mahesh Khola is undergoing a process of internal differentiation that is reflected in two main, rather opposite, trends: on the one hand, part of the rural workforce is migrating to the capital city of Kathmandu in search of urban jobs, while on the other hand, and in contrary, an important segment of the same has intensified its engagement in agriculture. As a matter of fact, one can notice a weakening up of the working class in the rural setting.DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v8i0.10721Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology Vol. 8, 2014; 29-54