Kathmandu. The devastating earthquake of 2072 BS continues to shock Nepalis every year on Baisakh 12. That tremor shattered millions of dreams. It took away the roofs of some. The laughter of some. It took away the relatives of some. And injured some.
Even after a decade of the earthquake, the wounds have not yet healed. In the alleys of the capital and in the foothills of the hilly villages, the destroyed houses have not yet been rebuilt. Where more memories than houses were destroyed. Even after a decade, Nepalis are still waiting for reconstruction.
The reconstruction of private homes, schools, archaeological buildings, and various government buildings destroyed by the earthquake is still underway. A 7.6 magnitude earthquake with its epicenter in Barpak, Gorkha, killed 8,979 people on Saturday, April 12, 2072 BS, at 11:56 AM.
22,309 people were injured in the earthquake. The earthquake completely damaged about 1 million private homes, 7,553 schools, 49,681 classrooms, 544 health facilities, and partially damaged 653 health facilities.
Similarly, 415 government buildings, 920 cultural heritage sites, including 170 World Heritage sites, and 383 security agency buildings were damaged. 3,212 water supply structures, 53 roads, and 299 human settlements were damaged.
The Department of Urban Development and Building Construction has made public the details of the projects executed by the Implementation Unit (Buildings and Housing) and its subordinate bodies.
According to the unit, out of 835,185 beneficiaries identified for private housing reconstruction, 834,267 have received the first installment. Of those who received the first installment, 770,775 (9.4 percent) have received the second installment and 743,249 (89.1 percent) have received the grant amount for the third installment.
Prakash Aryal, Chief of the Central Project Implementation Unit under the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, informed that the private housing construction work could not be completed with the 300,000 rupees grant provided by the government and that the general public who did not have the capacity to invest more had started construction work late.
‘The general public who could raise more investment have completed the construction work quickly. But some people could not build their houses on time due to lack of investment, so the private housing construction work could not be completed for a long time,’ he said. ‘As complaints about the selection of beneficiaries have been increasing even six years after the earthquake, it has also taken more time to address those complaints.’
Aryal admitted that the reconstruction process has been delayed due to investment management, disputes with local residents during the construction of archaeological heritage, and the process of obtaining grants has been prolonged, and said that 99 percent of the work will be completed in the next one year.
According to him, the number of government buildings that have been partially repaired after the earthquake in various districts is 253. The number of models built to operate government offices in various districts after the earthquake is 288.
‘The number of community buildings built for temporary residence in 10 different districts after the earthquake has been constructed for 756 families, of which 50 are being used for various purposes,’ Aryal said. ‘The number of government buildings completed with the assistance of the government and the Asian Development Bank in various districts is 151. In terms of building reinforcement, eight out of a total of 11 Rana-era buildings have been completed and reinforcement work is underway on three. There are 28 archaeological heritage projects being protected and reconstructed with the assistance of the Indian Government. There are two unimplemented projects. There are 13 completed projects.’
Similarly, the unit has stated that there are 12 projects under construction. Towards integrated settlement development, 97 settlement development works have been completed in various districts and nine projects are in the process of implementation.
Similarly, out of the 1,126 health buildings constructed after the earthquake, out of the 544 buildings handed over to the unit through the National Reconstruction Authority, 336 health buildings have been completed and the rest are under construction, the unit says. According to the unit, 14 percent of the reconstruction work of the Dharahara is still pending.
Director General of the Department of Archaeology, Saubhagya Pradhananga, said that the lack of budget required for the reconstruction of archaeological heritage, policy ambiguity, and lack of necessary raw materials are challenges in completing the construction work on time.
‘A total of 1,500 structures were damaged, including 170 inside the World Heritage Site and 750 outside, 215 monasteries, and 365 other structures that were damaged by the earthquake but not listed. Of these, 815, including monasteries, have been completed, while work on 154 is ongoing and 531 structures are still pending. The expenditure so far has been about Rs 7.2 billion,’ he said. ‘During the reconstruction of the heritage, the construction work has also been postponed due to the lack of traditional goods.’
The 61st Annual Report of the Auditor General has suggested that the work of rehabilitating and relocating individuals and families displaced by the earthquake has not progressed effectively after completing the sustainable and planned reconstruction work of the structures damaged by the 2072 BS earthquake.
According to the report, ongoing work in the areas of archaeological heritage and integrated settlement development and improvement has not been completed. The report emphasizes the need to take initiatives to complete the remaining work. The Reconstruction Authority had prepared a post-disaster reconstruction and recovery work framework on 28th Poush 2076 and set the revised cost estimate of the reconstruction work at Rs 489.1353 crore.
When the Authority was established, it had a target of completing the reconstruction work in five years, but the Authority was abolished and the work was handed over to the Central Project Implementation Unit (Buildings and Housing).
The report suggests that the reinforcement work should be completed by monitoring the remaining beneficiaries. Schedule-1 of the Grant Distribution Procedure for Reconstruction and Reinforcement of Earthquake-affected Private Housing, 2073 BS, provided for the selection criteria for the reconstruction and reinforcement of earthquake-damaged private housing grants.
The Accountant General also suggests that monitoring should be carried out to ensure that the grant money is properly utilized in the case of beneficiaries who do not complete the work after receiving the first and second installments. The Accountant General also suggests that proper utilization should be ensured as the constructed houses are not used for private housing purposes but for other purposes.
Infrastructure expert Kamalraj Pandey said that the reconstruction work could not be completed on time due to the lack of a long-term plan. ‘Disaster management cannot be done on time due to weak preparation. This is the main reason for the delay in the reconstruction work. And prioritization was not good,’ he said.
Even after the devastating earthquake in 2072 BS, the government had held a donor conference to raise money for reconstruction. In which conference, it was announced that more than Rs 400 billion would be provided. But the grant did not arrive as announced.
The Gorkha earthquake caused extensive damage in 14 districts including Okhaldhunga, Dolakha, Ramechhap, Sindhupalchowk, Kavrepalanchowk, Sindhuli, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Kathmandu, Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Makawanpur. Similarly, 18 districts including Sankhuwasabha, Bhojpur, Khotang, Solulukhumbu, Chitwan, Tanahun, Lamjung, Kaski, Parbat, Baglung, Myagdi, Syangja, Palpa, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, East Nawalparasi and West Nawalparasi were less affected.
What did the earthquake teach us? What didn’t we learn?
Dr. Lokvijay Adhikari, senior seismologist at the National Seismology and Research Center under the Department of Mines and Geology, said that the 2072 BS earthquake taught us lessons on what to do if an earthquake occurs? What not to do? How to exercise restraint in a disaster? What are the ways to stay safe? ‘There is a risk of an earthquake in Nepal at any time. The risk of earthquakes is high from Kathmandu to the Chure region in the south. We have also learned lessons on how to be safe in the event of an earthquake, how to make our structures earthquake-resistant, etc., he said. “After the devastating earthquake of 2072 BS, some people demolished tall houses in the valley and built lower ones. There was an awareness that structures should be strong. After that, most local levels have implemented the building code of conduct. It taught us that open space is needed and that preparation is necessary.”
The official said that if further preparation activities can be carried out, the potential earthquake risk that may arise in the future can be reduced. “We are saying that there is still an earthquake risk. The earthquake of 2072 BS taught us so many things. How many things are left for us to learn,” he said. “There are many things that need to be learned, including giving priority to preparation, increasing earthquake education and public awareness, arranging open spaces, and building strong structures.”
The official commented that prioritizing earthquake-related research after 2072 BS is positive. Architect and engineer Amit Prasad Timalsena also said that the awareness of making structures earthquake-resistant has increased after the earthquake.
‘The building code should be strictly implemented for the construction of earthquake-friendly structures. The state should strictly monitor the issues where the code is not implemented,’ he said, ‘Wide publicity regarding the construction of earthquake-resistant structures is still necessary.’
Dr. Vasudev Karki, a senior psychiatrist at Patan Mental Hospital in Lalitpur, said that the psychological trauma of the 2072 BS earthquake still remains and that people still have the problem of panicking even during the aftershocks of small earthquakes.
‘In natural disasters, some relatives and some people lose their homes. Some are injured. Some are afraid that another earthquake will happen and something will happen. This has increased the impact on psychological health,’ he says, ‘Psychologically, as well as mental health issues, psychological counseling is also necessary in disasters, so preparation is necessary.’
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