Sluggish progress in rebuilding health institutions

Kathmandu, Dec. 27: Among the infrastructure damaged by the devastating Gorkha Earthquake 2015, reconstruction of health centres is sluggish while there has been significant progress in reconstructing government buildings. 

According to the statistics of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) published on the occasion of the second year of its establishment, 1,197 health centres were damaged in the quake but only 257 health institutions have been reconstructed and 119 are under-construction.

However, of 483 damaged government buildings, 177 were fully reconstructed and 203 are under construction.

NRA Spokesperson Yam Lal Bhoosal said that the reconstruction of schools was moving smoothly.

"Altogether 7,553 buildings of educational institutions were damaged in the quake. By the third week of December 2,741 school buildings were reconstructed and 1,004 are under construction," he said.

Similarly, 79 archaeological heritages have been rebuilt while construction of 314 is ongoing. The quake had damaged 753 heritages across the country. 

NRA Chief Executive Officer Yuba Raj Bhusal maintained that the reconstruction of hundreds of thousands of private houses, thousands of educational institutions, hundreds of government buildings, hundreds of cultural heritages, health institutions and drinking water systems was certainly not easy.

"This scale of reconstruction is the first of its kind in Nepal’s history. 

Many people even believe that this is the largest owner-driven reconstruction project in the world," he said while speaking at a programme organised to celebrate the second anniversary. 

He said that the main objective of NRA at present is to provide safe housing to hundreds of thousands of earthquake victims. There has been encouraging increase in the number of people who have received the second tranche after beginning the construction with the first tranche. 

"Reconstruction of 79,514 houses was completed while 194,196 are being rebuilt," said Bhusal.

The NRA also said that in addition to housing reconstruction, the government had also started to help relocate thousands of people who had been living in vulnerable areas to safer locations. 

NRA has started rehabilitation process by buying land in safer locations for them. Similarly, policy and process of establishing integrated settlement has been prepared for its implementation.