Reconstruction work of earthquake hit Nepal at a very slow pace

The reconstruction work of  earthquake devastated  Nepal still remains hampered and people are still living in temporary shelters as political wrangling has prevented the disbursement of  billions pledged by international donors for reconstruction. 

According to information from local sources, aid organisations are urging the government to activate the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA), created to formulate quake-resistant building regulations and oversee the allocation of funds. The government appointed a chief executive officer to the NRA in August, but he has been unable to start reconstruction work, because Parliament failed to pass a bill to launch the agency.

The government has instead been embroiled in crisis. Protests against a new constitution erupted on the Indian border, blocking fuel imports, while political parties refused to agree on the terms of the reconstruction bill.

Meanwhile the United Nations humanitarian wing and its partners are racing against the clock to ensure timely delivery of food and shelter supplies to the isolated communities.

Available land access trails, especially to high altitude regions, will be cut off soon with the onset of winter, thus making the humanitarian agencies rush to safeguard distribution of urgent relief of food and shelter items, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).

 “The humanitarian community is implementing contingencies to address the fuel shortages and to increase its capacity to deliver the supplies within an ever decreasing window of opportunity,” said the statement.

The April 2015 earthquakes killed close to 9,000 people and destroyed or damaged almost a million homes.  (Fides, UN)