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Nearly a year after a 6.4 magnitude earthquake struck western Nepal, reconstruction efforts remain in limbo, leaving thousands of victims living in temporary shelters. 

The earthquake that hit Jajarkot's Ramidanda at midnight on 31 Oct 2023, caused catastrophic damage across Jajarkot and West Rukum, rendering many people homeless. However, the government’s promise of swift reconstruction has gone unfulfilled.

“We endured winter’s cold, survived the summer heat, and now another harsh winter approaches. We survived the earthquake, but other disasters might have claimed our lives,” said Bishnu Kami of Bheri Municipality, who lives in a tin shelter with no food stocks and mounting debts. “When it rains, our shelter leaks. We haven’t even been able to repay the loans we took to build this temporary shelter. Nobody seems to care about our plight.”

The initial response proved tragically inadequate as 36 people died in Jajarkot alone due to extreme cold while living in tarpaulin shelters. During monsoon season, seven more lives in Jajarkot and three in West Rukum as their temporary shelters were swept away by landslides.

Government data shows 26,557 houses were completely destroyed and 35,455 partially damaged in Jajarkot alone. The disaster also destroyed 289 schools, damaged 598 others, impacted 92 government offices, and affected 22 health facilities. Additionally, 25 temples and historical structures were damaged, along with over 50 sections of the Mid-Hill Highway and other crucial infrastructure.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) attributes the reconstruction delays to bureaucratic hurdles and a shortage of funds. “We requested Rs 250m from the Finance Ministry seven months ago for the Detailed Damage Assessment (DDA), but haven’t received it,” said Basanta Adhikari, Joint Secretary at NDRRMA. “The delay in conducting DDA is hampering rehabilitation of earthquake victims.”

The total reconstruction cost for rehabilitation of some 85,000 beneficiaries in Jajarkot and Rukum as well as Salyan, Doti, Achham, Bajhang and Bajura has been estimated at Rs 60bn.

Kali Bahadur Khatri, Chief of the District Coordination Committee of Jajarkot, said that there has been significant delay in collecting damage assessments by the team of technical experts. “How will the government, which cannot provide Rs 250m for DDA (Detailed Damage Assessment), manage the Rs 60bn required for reconstruction?” Khatri questioned.

Joint Secretary Adhikari said the reconstruction guidelines have been prepared and awaiting cabinet’s endorsement. As per the guidelines, a housing grant of Rs 400,000 has been proposed for disaster survivors in Tarai, Rs 500,000 in hilly regions and Rs 600,000 in mountainous region. However, the delay in approving these guidelines has left both victims and aid organizations in limbo.

The immediate relief efforts have also faced significant challenges. Out of 48,517 registered beneficiaries in Jajarkot, only 40,463 have received the first installment of Rs 25,000 rupees to build temporary shelters. However, only 6,182 households have received the second installment even though 32,078 have been verified for payment. 

Similar delays have been witnessed in West Rukum, where only about 16,000 of 32,996 beneficiaries have received second installment. 

The lack of reconstruction of school buildings, health facilities, and government office buildings has affected education, healthcare services, and public service delivery. According to the Jajarkot District Administration Office, 289 schools have been completely damaged and 598 schools have been partially damaged. Similarly, 92 government offices have suffered complete damage while 60 have been partially damaged. 22 health facilities have been completely damaged and 38 have sustained partial damage. Twenty-five temples and other archaeological structures have also been damaged. Chief District Officer Uma Kant Adhikari said that more than 50 roads, including the Mid-Hill Highway, have been damaged. He added that reconstruction efforts have been unable to gain momentum due to the lack of policy frameworks and structural arrangements.

Pushpa Sharma, principal of Hanuman Primary School in Bheri Municipality, said they have been forced to take five classes in one room of the temporary learning center. “If we had permanent school buildings, conducting teaching and learning activities would have been  much easier,” he added. 

Hundreds of schools in the quake-hit districts are operating from temporary structures or open spaces, leaving students and teachers to brave extreme weather conditions.

NGOs and INGOs, which initially rushed to provide relief and recovery support, now face uncertainty as their emergency programs near completion in December. “Without clear government guidelines, we don’t know how to proceed with long-term reconstruction support,” said Sahadev Basnet, chairperson of the NGO Federation Jajarkot.

Recently, political parties submitted a memorandum to Karnali Province Chief Minister Yamlal Kandel to expedite reconstruction works in quake-hit districts.

Among others, they have requested that the government expedite disbursement of second installment, provide up to Rs 3m subsidized loans per beneficiary, and special initiatives to restore destroyed public infrastructure and heritage sites. 

In response, Chief Minister Kandel expressed commitment to  allocate Rs 500m for rebuilding educational and health facilities. He added that he would lobby with the federal government for additional support.

Two more survivors of the Nov 3 earthquake have succumbed to health complications resulting from harsh weather conditions in Jajarkot, taking the number of survivors killed in the quake to 37. 

The deceased, Karna Bahadur Bishwakarma (58) of Rautgaun in Bheri Municipality-1 and Lal Bahadur Raut (68) of Jiri in Barekot Rural Municipality-4, had been living under tarpaulin tents after the destruction of their homes in the 6.4-magnitude quake with Ramidanda as its epicenter. 

Karna Bahadur, living in a makeshift tarpaulin tent with his five family members, had been bedridden for the past week. “He was running a fever and we thought it was seasonal flu. When we took him to the hospital, his condition had already worsened,” shared Rup Lal, son of Karna Bahadur.

Initially admitted to Jajarkot district hospital, Karna Bahadur was referred to Karnali provincial hospital in Surkhet after his condition deteriorated. He passed away in the course of treatment on Saturday morning. Bir Bahadur Giri, chairperson of Barekot Rural Municipality (Jajarkot), confirmed that Karna Bahadur, an asthma patient living under tarpaulin sheets, passed away as his condition worsened due to harsh weather conditions.

Asthma patients constitute a majority of the 37 deceased. Three children and a new mother are also among the dead. Although the government had announced plans for the relocation of earthquake survivors from tarpaulin tents to temporary shelters within a month, only 9,169 families have been relocated so far. Additionally, only 1800 families have received the Rs 50,000 grant (meant for each family) for building temporary shelters.

Of the 35,140 earthquake survivors eligible for the grant in Jajarkot, more than 26,000 of them have not built temporary shelters yet, according to Harish Chandra Sharma, assistant chief district officer of Jajarkot. Due to delays in releasing the grant, earthquake survivors have been unable to construct temporary shelters, so they have no option but to brave chilly winter nights under tarpaulin tents.

Humanitarian workers say that cumbersome administrative processes involved in opening bank accounts and submitting proof of homelessness after police investigations make it quite difficult for the survivors to get government grants. Raj Bahadur Shahi of Junichande-5 in Jajarkot says a lackadaisical attitude of the local government is the reason why the survivors are not getting government grants.

The family of Birkha Bahadur Karki from Bheri Municipality-2, Jajarkot, is trying to piece their lives back together after their world crumbled in the earthquake on the night of Nov 3. It has been over a month since the disaster, and yet the Karki family is living under a makeshift shelter made from tarpaulin sheets. The government promised assistance hasn’t found its way to them.
 

Karki says he has done everything the local government has asked him to get the funds so that he can build a shelter for his family, but to no avail. “I have already filled up the beneficiary form and opened a bank account. I don’t know what is causing the delay,” he says. “It’s cold, and the nights are long. I don’t know how long we are going to live in this state.”

Kiran Bhandari’s family faces a similar struggle. Their house now lies in ruins. The tarpaulin tent they call home hardly shields them from the biting cold. “We filled out the forms, hoping for some relief, but it seems like the funds we are supposed to get have been caught in the bureaucratic maze,” he says. His family, like many others, hasn't seen a rupee of the promised assistance. 

“We just want a place where our children can feel safe. We will be alright if only the government provided us with a proper shelter to live in. We don’t need monetary assistance.”

The fate of Karki and Bhadari are shared by tens of thousands of quake displaced people in Jajarkot and the neighboring district of Rukum West. As winter tightens its grip, the tarpaulin shacks that were supposed to be temporary are becoming more unbearable. 

The government claims to have simplified the process of providing assistance, but the earthquake victims argue that the bureaucratic hurdles, such as the requirement to open a bank account and fill up several forms, have caused delays. 

Even though the government has announced to distribute cash handouts to those families who do not have bank accounts, the local governments have been insisting that every earthquake-affected families open bank accounts.
 

The process of opening bank accounts has been cumbersome, especially for those who do not have citizenship documents or have migrated from other districts.

Hari Bahadur Basnet of Bheri Municipality-3 highlights the difficulties faced by those who have moved from outside the district.

“Banks are demanding police issued documents stating that our houses and properties were destroyed by the earthquake, but we haven’t got any such documents. Many of us don’t even have citizenship,” says Basnet.

The procedural framework has been criticized as unjust by earthquake victims, hindering many from receiving the promised assistance. A month after the earthquake, details about damage and temporary shelters are still unavailable, attributing negligence and lack of coordination to the government.

The requirement for the quake displaced families to fill out a self-declaration form stating that they do not own homes elsewhere, and tasks such as opening a bank account have kept  many beneficiaries from receiving the government promised assistance. Many local governments have withdrawn the funds, but the distribution process has been held up in the name of completing the paperworks and bank account requirements.

The delay has left quake victims vulnerable to the harsh conditions, with health issues affecting vulnerable groups. Dr. Pratiksha Bharati, chief of District Health Service Office, Jajarkot, reveals the pressing health concerns.

"Nearly a thousand people are in need of medical attention. Health issues such as respiratory infections, pneumonia, fever, cold, and diarrhea are common among the earthquake victims," says Bharati.

She says senior citizens, children, people with chronic health conditions and pregnant women have been affected the most. 

The government has pledged to provide Rs 50,000 each to the quake displaced families in two installments. That was nearly three weeks ago, and yet many families in Jajarkot have not even received the first installment of the promised sum. 

The local government of Shivapuri Rural Municipality has received more than Rs 82m from the central government, but the local earthquake victims are yet to receive the money. Chhedagad and Barekot municipalities have also not been able to provide assistance to the beneficiaries. 

Another municipality, Nalgad, has not even requested for funds so far, as the authorities have not yet identified the total number of earthquake victims. Like Nalgad, there are several other municipalities in Jajarkot that are still assessing the damage and recording the number of earthquake victims.

Bir Bahadur Giri, chairman of Barekot Rural Municipality, says the delay in collecting beneficiary details has hindered the distribution of funds. 

“The delay has been caused due to incomplete submission of self-declaration forms,” he says.

Despite the government's plan to provide temporary housing to all earthquake-affected families by the Nepali month of Mangsir, the successful implementation of the program is yet to be seen. 

Chief District Officer Suresh Sunar says his office has been repeatedly urging the local municipal offices to expedite the fund distribution process, but to no avail.

“They say delay in form submission, lack of documentation and dispute among locals have hindered the fund distribution process,” says Sunar.

Khambe Damai from Barekot Rural Municipality-2 in Jajarkot faced disappointment when he visited the Ghatbazaar food depot earlier this week only to find it closed. He returned empty-handed, wondering how he would provide food for his family.

“The subsidized rice provided by the government made our lives much easier. We cannot afford the high prices of rice in the local market,” he lamented. Prem Bahadur Bohora from Barekot-3 shares a similar story. “Festivals are approaching, but we have no rice. Many people like me are eagerly awaiting the arrival of rice shipments at the government depot.”

The depot has been closed for three months due to a shortage of rice stock. In the remote villages of Jajarkot, people are compelled to purchase rice from the local market at double the price charged at the government depot. The Ghatbazaar-based depot of the Food Management and Trading Company (FMTC) has remained shut for three months. Bir Bahadur Giri, the Chairperson of Barekot Rural Municipality, revealed that the locals in Barekot are facing a severe food shortage. “Since the depot has been closed for three months, we have urgently requested the Chief District Officer to supply rice to the Ghatbazaar depot and the sales point at Kaule,” he added.

The food shortage is not limited to Barekot. Other local units of the district like Nalgad Municipality, Kuse Rural Municipality, Chedagad Municipality, and Junichande Rural Municipality are also seeing food shortages. Food depots and sales centers in these areas have exhausted their food stocks. With the exception of Surkhet and Salyan, all other districts in Karnali have also run out of stock. As new harvests are not yet ready, and food depots are depleted, local residents are struggling to get food. In the rural areas of Jajarkot, locals cannot access rice even if they are willing to pay for it. This crisis has arisen because the FMTC failed to initiate procurement and shipment processes on time. Even after starting the bidding process, the company has not yet selected a transport company for rice delivery to rural districts.

Ram Prasad Poudel, the chief of the Jajarkot district office of FMTC, mentioned that all four depots and sales centers in the district have run out of stock. “The process of selecting the company for rice supply is in its final stages, and preparations are underway to supply rice before the Dashain festival,”  he said. Jajarkot district headquarters currently has only 660 quintals of rice in stock.

According to FMTC, the depletion of rice stock in remote depots and sales centers is attributed to the increase in international market prices, India’s ban on rice imports, and delays in the tender process for procurement and transportation. In the remote areas of Karnali, people face food deficits as their agricultural output is insufficient to sustain them throughout the year. Consequently, the government has been providing subsidized rice in these areas through food supply and trading companies.

The Surkhet Office of FMTC has initiated the necessary steps to supply food grains to remote depots. They are sending 4,000 tons to Humla, which is not connected to the national road network, via Tibet. Madhav Mishra, the head of FMTC’s regional office in Surkhet, reported that 1100 quintals of rice were sent to Jumla, 770 quintals to Mugu, and 170 quintals to Kalikot. He stated that they have taken the necessary initiatives to transport rice to depots and sales centers in Jumla, Humla, Dolpa, Jajarkot, Mugu, Kalikot, Dailekh, Rukum West, and Bajura of Sudurpashchim Province before Dashain. “There won’t be a shortage of rice this festive season. We have already initiated the shipment process, and we have also begun procuring rice,” he added.