Govt commences PDNA

Kathmandu, May 6, 2015:

In the wake of the devastating earthquake on April 25, government has started post disaster need assessment.

It has sent a team, comprised of a senior government bureaucrat, engineer and local bodies' representatives, for the post disaster need assessment in the quake-hit villages and municipalities.

"Teams have already reached the villages in Sindhupalchowk and Kavre by today afternoon," said Rajan Khanal, secretary at Ministry of General Administration (MoGA).

The government began to dispatch the teams yesterday.

According to Khanal, 500 section officers and 237 engineers have been already mobilized in the field by now.

The team will be responsible for the Initial Rapid Assessment (IRA), which will help in relief distribution and temporary settlement of the quake victims, and Multi-Cluster/Sector Initial Rapid Assessment (MIRA), which will suggest for integrated resettlement of the quake affected families and reconstruct development infrastructure.

The purpose of the MIRA is to identify strategic humanitarian priorities during the first weeks following a crisis. "It helps to get the situation of the operations in the disaster-hit area with the exact information available," said Laxmi Prasad Dhakal, Spokesperson at Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA).

"As the first phase of search, rescue and relief operations was over, we must assess the ground reality and the necessity of the people. Therefore, the government has planned to send the study team in the field," said Dhakal.

According to Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat, Minister for Finance, reconstruction of the individual home is the first priority of the government. "In my view, the government should reconstruct the homes of the people at first. Then schools and historical and religious heritages should be reconstructed and renovated," he said in an interaction programme at the Ministry of Finance today.

Therefore, we need the real time data for the detailed planning, he further added.

The team will recommend for the physical planning, roads, schools, health posts and other infrastructure development while it can also suggest for the reallocation of human settlement or integrated resettlements.

It will collect the information of damage caused by the catastrophic earthquake and a series of aftershocks.

"We will get real-time data from these teams. They will collect complete information about the humanitarian and property loss while need of the people will also be documented," said Khanal.

The team will also assist in assessing the need of relief items, distribution of relief materials and construction of temporary shelter for the quake victims while it will also verify whether the government buildings that are damaged partially in the tremors are fit to move in.

According to the MoGA, preparations are underway to send the five member team, which comprises a under-secretary or section officer or school inspector, a civil engineer or sub engineer, a non-gazetted officer, secretary of the concerned village or municipal ward or technical assistance and office assistant, to all the villages and municipalities.

The team will work under the straight control and direction of the Chief District officer of the concerned district. I will have a month's period to assess the situation in the disaster-hit areas.

The Central Natural Disaster Relief Committee meeting on Sunday had decided to dispatch such teams to the quake-hit areas as soon as possible while it entrusted the MoGA for the team mobilization and coordination.

The Committee has prepared a guideline for the teams which will be mobilized in the field.