The Environment Ministry has recommended bamboo-based houses, which have been developed and successfully tested by a government institute, for earthquake-prone areas of the country. In its annual report, the Ministry said Bangalore-based Indian Plywood Industries Research and Training Institute (IPIRTI), an autonomous body of the Ministry, has developed and tested a bamboo-based house suitable for disaster-prone areas.

Observing that some regions in India require quake-proof housing, the Ministry said the bamboo-based house built by the institute based on IPIRTI-TRADA (Timber Research and
Development Association) technology can resist earthquakes. The Ministry in its annual report said, the bamboo house resisted seven repetitions of a typical Zone 5 earthquake, the highest in India and equivalent to over 7 on the Richter Scale.