KATHMANDU, NOVEMBER 15
Reconstruction of as many as 50,000 houses in Gorkha and Nuwakot districts that suffered damage in the 2015 earthquakes has been completed with support from the Indian government.
Embassy of India in Nepal, in association with National Reconstruction Authority, UNDP and UNOPS organised an event in Kathmandu today to mark the successful completion of the reconstruction project of private houses.
The event was attended by Namgya C Khampa, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of India in Kathmandu, NRA CEO Sushil Gyawali, as well as representatives of NDRRMA, UNDP and UN- OPS, EU, USAID, World Bank, ADB, JICA, FNCDO as well as leaders of respective municipalities and rural municipalities.
During the event, Khampa announced that 50,000 private houses, as committed by the Government of India, had been completed with Owner Driven Reconstruction Approach adopted by the Government of Nepal.
UNDP and UNOPS were engaged by the Government of India in March 2018 to provide socio-technical facilitation and consultation services to earthquake-affected beneficiaries in four municipalities and 14 rural municipalities of Gorkha and Nuwakot districts.
GoI committed USD 150 million as post-earthquake assistance package on housing sector to provide financial and technical support for reconstruction of 50,000 beneficiaries, including USD 100 million grant and USD 50 million under the Fourth Line of Credit.
During the event, a workshop on the lessons learnt and the way ahead was also organised. The workshop aimed to bring together the project's major stakeholders to acknowledge the pivotal role played by local government and agencies of NRA in the effectiveness and successful completion of the private housing reconstruction project. Furthermore, the workshop also elaborated the best practices, shared key learning, and collectively discussed the effectiveness of project for the local government as guidance and for future reference.
The Government of India is also working with NRA for construction of 71 education sector projects, 132 health buildings and restoration/retrofitting of 28 cultural heritage sites in 11 districts of Nepal affected by the 2015 earthquakes.
A version of this article appears in the print on November 16, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
