No more delays

Slow reconstruction in the quake-hit areas littered with compromised infrastructure is unacceptable.

The magnitude 6.4 earthquake in November 2023 badly shook Jajarkot, Rukum and Salyan districts. More than 250 people died, and hundreds were injured. In Salyan alone, it destroyed 4,374 structures and displaced over 6,000 people in the district’s Darma Rural Municipality. Yet the district authorities have only recently started assessing the extent of the damage, without which there can be no reconstruction of houses. Following the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority’s (NDRRMA) training for municipal technicians this week, they have reportedly been deployed to affected areas. Though late, this is a much-needed step. However, the delay hints at the state’s lax disaster response and suggests that post-quake assessment has not been a priority for successive governments. In fact, fragmented mandates from the federal government, poor coordination among governments and uncertainties in operational decisions have often been the norm in post-disaster recovery.