Tag: Nepal earthquake

Documenting Nepal’s earthquake survivors

I hope someone at the Nepal government body responsible for earthquake recovery, the Nepal Reconstruction Authority, is reading these reports and seriously considering their recommendations.

Chisapani_earthquake_SM
I passed this damaged building walking in and out of Chisapani a couple of weeks ago. The village is on the northern edge of the Kathmandu Valley, in Shivapuri National Park.

The Asia Foundation in Nepal continues doing a series of post-earthquake surveys of households whose homes were damaged or destroyed by the 2015 earthquakes.

I am impressed that more than two years after the devastation TAF continues to follow-up and I suspect that the information they’re collecting will be useful in future post-disaster situations. More than that, I hope someone at the Nepal government body responsible for earthquake recovery, the Nepal Reconstruction Authority, is reading these reports and seriously considering their recommendations. Continue reading “Documenting Nepal’s earthquake survivors”

Nepal building back too slowly, or as expected?

Should we criticise Nepal for not rebuilding faster after the 2015 earthquakes?

Nepal earthquake
(c) Kunda Dixit, Nepali Times

Nepal faces a lot of challenges, not least of which is rebuilding after the earthquakes of 2015. Add to that the very long, ongoing political transition and, as of last week, disastrous flooding in the south.

So, I often ask myself: how fair it is to criticise one of the world’s poorest countries for progressing so slowly on certain issues? (And reminding myself that Nepal has made great strides in some areas, such as the health of mothers and newborns). This may be one of those questions that I’ll never answer satisfactorily and for now I’ll fall back on the opinions of others. Continue reading “Nepal building back too slowly, or as expected?”

INGOs in Nepal positive about post-earthquake performance

Emergency relief was a success but the government’s reconstruction body has discouraged INGOs trying to support rebuilding.

Blog_INGOsQuake_150417
This cartoon is from Nepal’s Republica newspaper, which has published many articles critical of INGOs working in post-earthquake aid and reconstruction.

International NGOs working in Nepal were severely criticised after the 25 April 2015 earthquake for not delivering what they promised, especially given the amount if money  they raised through emergency appeals. Some criticisms continue.

This week I interviewed a representative of INGOs, who told me that any mistakes they made were due to the need to react quickly and save lives. Read more below.

A shorter version of the article was published in Nepali Times.

Nearing the second anniversary of the 25 April 2015 earthquake, international NGOs say any flaws in their work stem from the need to act immediately, and the stifling bureaucracy of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA). Continue reading “INGOs in Nepal positive about post-earthquake performance”

Nepal: the road to …

I’ve been back in Nepal for nearly two months now. In some respects things look depressingly similar to how they did when I left in 2010 …

raptibridgesm

I’ve been back in Nepal for nearly two months now, eager to write about what I’m seeing and hearing but reluctant to come to any premature conclusions.

So instead, I’ll present some impressions, like this photo (above) of a bridge over the Rapti River in Dang district, which I took last weekend. Continue reading “Nepal: the road to …”

%d bloggers like this: