1. Jan-Feb 2011

ARCHITECTURE
These same buildings can be adapted for the accommodation of tourists,
especially the beautiful courtyard houses.
There are nevertheless various points that would need to be looked into. Wood
needs to be used efficiently and the wooden elements need to be minimised.
Community forestry geared for the building sector needs to be supported. It
would be possible to look into improving the earth used for construction. The
harnessing of passive solar energy needs to be studied. Solutions are needed
for the appropriate installation of sanitary facilities and disposal systems.
When seismic forces act on rammed earth walls, one usually finds the
formation of cracks and separation along construction joints. All wall joints
need to be reinforced. The flat roofs, which are covered with earth, are heavy,
and the wooden structural elements need to be securely anchored into the
walls. The posts should have proper foundations with spread footings. Flat
roofed buildings give the freedom for irregular shaped buildings and easy
extension. The various parts of the buildings should be separated using crush
joints.
CONCLUSION
The rough, rugged landscape of Upper Mustang cradles a very delicate
environment and an even more fragile culture. It was preserved over decades
due to the restrictions set on foreigners to visit the area due to the political
sensitivity during and after the Kampa resistance skirmishes. This however
also led to the neglect of numerous monuments. People started moving away
as the cross-border trade dwindled. Restricted numbers of tourists were
allowed to enter Upper Mustang from 1991 onwards with the objective of
ensuring a minimum impact on the area. At the same time roads were
being planned up the Kali Gandaki River to Jomsom and from the border
through Lo Manthang on down the valley. These conflicted approaches
for the planning of Upper Mustang have not allowed an appropriate
development strategy to take root.
Upper Mustang has a lot to offer to tourism. It is clear that there is also
a need to develop the area to allow for better living standards and to
ensure that the villages are not left to those that are too old or too young
to migrate away from the hardships of living in this forgotten area.
Considering the importance of a long-term sustainable strategy for the
development of this region, the various sectors of the government need
to coordinate their visions and find an approach which is appropriate for
the inherent identity and characteristics of the place.
Till now, focus has been given to restoring the major monuments in and
around Lo Manthang. The wall around Lo Manthang was overlooked
until it was too late to preserve. Even till 1993 there were only two
entrances to the city: the main gate to the north and a winter gate
to the south. Today the wall has been poker-marked with openings,
losing the very identity of the walled settlement. It must be clearly
stated that even less efforts have been undertaken to preserve the
traditional dwellings. The earthen courtyard houses are the very fabric
of the settlements in Upper Mustang. Should these be replaced by
the concrete frame structures that have multiplied wherever there
are roads, Upper Mustang will have lost its most treasured and unique
quality.
View up the Kali Gandaki with Kagbeni in the foreground
January-February 2011
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