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Roof coverings in Terai, pros and cons

Short answer

In Terai, CGI sheets are light, cheap, quick to fix, fire-resistant but hot, noisy, prone to rust, and poor insulation. Clay tiles offer good thermal insulation, durability, fire resistance, and local availability but are heavy, brittle, need maintenance, and can leak or blow off in wind/earthquake.

Explain any two roof covering materials commonly used in Terai region of Nepal. Give pros and cons of using such covering.

In the Terai region (hot and humid, heavy monsoon), the commonly used coverings are:

1. CGI (corrugated galvanised iron) sheets

  • Pros: light weight, quick and easy fixing, cheap, long span between purlins, good rain protection, fire resistant, suitable in earthquake zones.
  • Cons: become very hot in summer and noisy in rain, rust in humid conditions if zinc coating is poor, poor thermal insulation, can be blown off by high wind if not fixed well.

2. Clay tiles (khapra / Mangalore tiles)

  • Pros: good thermal insulation, cool inside, durable, fire resistant, locally made, attractive.
  • Cons: heavy (needs stronger roof frame), brittle and break easily, need regular maintenance, can leak at joints and are damaged by strong wind and earthquake.

Thatch (khar) is also used in rural Terai; it is cheap and cool but is not fire-safe and needs frequent replacement.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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