सिंहदरबार संवाददाता
Kathmandu. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has accelerated the post-disaster reconstruction work that was stalled in the past.
The Executive Chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, Bhishma Kumar Bhusal, has made significant progress in post-disaster reconstruction, relief distribution, construction of temporary housing and damage assessment in the 90 days since assuming office.
The post-disaster reconstruction work that was stalled in the past, from relief distribution, policy formulation to handing over the warehouse of emergency supplies to the provincial government and damage assessment, has been accelerated. In order to expedite the reconstruction and rehabilitation of private housing damaged by the 2079 and 2080 earthquakes, ‘District Earthquake Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Project Implementation Unit’ has been established in Jajarkot, Achham and Bajhang districts.
Similarly, the emergency material warehouses of Karnali and Sudurpaschim provinces have also been handed over to the provincial government. Since Bhusal assumed the post of CEO, the West Nepal Earthquake and Flood Disaster Reconstruction and Recovery Plan 2081/82-2083/84 has been approved.
The Authority has also made significant progress in policy formulation including social security and relief distribution standards, private housing reconstruction grant procedures, communication strategies, emergency warehouse operation procedures. NEA Chief Executive Officer Bhusal said that many long-pending tasks were completed during the 2 months of the CEO with authority and the 3 months of the leadership.
He said, ‘We worked in the Authority for 90 days under my leadership and 60 days under the CEO with authority. This included preparing a detailed damage assessment of the Doti, Bajhang and Jajarkot earthquakes, distribution of the second and third installments, reconstruction of permanent housing and a blueprint for reconstruction after the monsoon disaster. Much earlier, the distribution of funds for the reconstruction of houses of people who lost their homes in monsoon-related disasters and fire-related disasters was also pending.’
‘When we started the work, there were issues that were pending, such as the first installment in 77 BS and the next installment. We have started the process of completing all those things. We have started the distribution of installments for the Doti earthquake, and a detailed assessment of the damage to about 17,000 households in the Jajarkot earthquake has been done. Even now, 98 engineers are working in the field. We have set a target to complete the work by Baisakh 15 at the latest. “In order to strengthen the local and provincial governments, we have prepared a local disaster and climate resilience framework and created guidelines for municipalities, as well as a basic curriculum for training disaster volunteers,” he said.
He added, “Meanwhile, the framework for the recovery of monsoon-related disasters and overall disasters has been passed. After the passage of this framework, the reconstruction of major bridges and roads damaged in the past monsoon-related disasters has begun. Overall, all the stalled reconstruction works of past disasters and monsoon-related disasters have begun. The work of handing over the warehouses for storing emergency supplies to the provincial government has also begun.” Work has been done to strengthen local and provincial governments and complete and resume work that was stopped in the past due to all disasters.’
During Bhusal’s leadership, 9,682 beneficiaries affected by the Doti earthquake have been identified and grant agreements have been signed. The first installment was distributed from Doti on Magh 2 and from Dadeldhura and Achham on Falgun 22 and 24 respectively.
Detailed damage assessment of the Jajarkot earthquake-affected area is underway at a rapid pace. So far, detailed assessment of 17,000 houses has been completed. The Authority has also conducted training on disaster risk reduction for security agencies, community forest users’ committees, municipal police, etc., and conducted an on-site study of the landslide-affected areas of Lamjung.
The Authority, under Bhusal’s leadership, has also stated that it is moving forward with the budget disbursement and implementation process as per the reconstruction and rehabilitation plan. Meanwhile, the government on Monday appointed Nepali Congress Mahasamiti member Dinesh Bhatta as the Executive Chief of the Authority.
He is yet to take charge. Earlier, after the end of Anil Pokhrel’s term, the government had appointed Joint Secretary Bhusal as the Executive Chief of the Authority.
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