Kathmandu, January 17

The Central Bureau of Statistics has begun collecting details of infrastructures and houses damaged in 14 districts worst affected by the April and May earthquakes.

The CBS with support from the United Nations has already sent engineers to collect the details of damaged structures in some districts.

Pramodraj Regmi, information officer at CBS, said today that the team from CBS will collect details of damaged structures, especially residential houses. “The team has already started inspecting houses in Dolakha, while the team will leave for other districts soon,” said Regmi.

The 14-worst hit districts include Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Dolakha, Sindhupalchok, Ramechhap, Okhaldhunga, Sindhuli, Kavrepalanchok, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Gorkha, Dhading and Makawanpur.

Although the natural disaster rescue committees have already provided identity cards to quake victims in their respective districts, the government and the donors still wanted make an exact assessment of damage to private homes, said Regmi.

“This could be an independent validation of the record of damaged buildings registered in the past,” he said adding, “The engineers will identify houses that have suffered complete damage, partial damage and those with minor damage.”

Similarly, a secretary-level meeting on December 21, 2015 had decided to mobilise teachers to help the data collection team from the CBS.

The Department of Education has requested the district education offices to manage teachers to help the data collection team. It has also asked the DEOs to make sure that mobilisation of teachers does not affect teaching-learning process.