Workshop on post-quake reconstruction concludes

Kathmandu, February 4,

A two-day workshop organised by the World Wildlife Fund in association with Nepal Forum of Environmental Journalists to provide a platform to experts and media personnel to discuss the need for green reconstruction concluded today.

The April 25 earthquake and its repeated aftershocks had a huge impact on the country and its populace.

While nearly 9,000 people lost their lives, hundreds of thousands of people were rendered homeless. Eight months after the devastation, the country is slowly entering the reconstruction phase.

This USAID-funded programme ‘Media Sensitisation on Post-Earthquake Green Recovery and Reconstruction’ saw 37 participants from different leading media houses interact with policy makers and environmental experts on issues related to green recovery and reconstruction.

The entire programme was divided into four sessions and each session was chaired by concerned experts.

The first session, chaired by Chandra Bahadur Shrestha, executive committee member, National Reconstruction Authority, comprised presentations from Anita van Breda, director, Environment and Disaster Management/ WWF US, and Judy Oglethorpe, chief of party, Hariyo Ban Program, WWF Nepal.

While Anita introduced the concept of GRR and further shared her international experiences on the same, Judy explained about the impact of Nepal earthquake on the environment and Hariyo Ban Program GRR activities.

Similarly, session II, chaired by Ram Prasad Lamsal, Ministry of Population and Environment, had Batu Krishna Uprety, expert member, Climate Change Council, talk about the importance of Environmental Impact Assessment after the earthquake and Yubaraj Ghimire, editor, Annapurna Post, discuss the media perspective on post- earthquake scenarios related to social, economic, political and environmental issues.

The session also featured Bhuwan Karki, under secretary, International Economic Cooperation Division, Ministry of Finance, who informed the participants about the status of finance of reconstruction.

Likewise, the third session, chaired by Sahaj Man Shrestha, saw Rajendra Dahal, editor in chief of Shikshak Magazine, briefing about the political scenario after the earthquake and Sadhana Ghimire, team leader of Conflict Prevention, UNDP, shedding light on land planning with particular focus on GESI.

Meanwhile, the last session was a panel discussion among experts and the media on matters related to the role of media on Green Recovery and Reconstruction.

The session, moderated by Santosh Mani Nepal of WWF Nepal, addressed queries of different media personnel regarding GRR and further shed light on the social, political and environmental issue surrounding the same.