Nepal was struck by a major earthquake on April 25, killing thousands and destroying almost all infrastructures of affected areas. This was followed by a 7.3 aftershock. All in all, this is the biggest natural calamity in Nepal in last 82 years, after the 1934 Nepal-Bihar earthquake.
The earthquake also triggered an avalanche on Mount Everest and in Langtang valley. Hundreds of thousands of people were made homeless with entire villages crushed, across many districts. This devastation has adversely affected our already precarious social, economic and political situation.
Indubitably, we are severely affected, but we have to accept that creation and destruction are the Will of the Almighty. We can mourn what has happened but we cannot alter the command of the God. Accepting and realizing the truth is the only option. I visited a few severely affected areas with the intention of providing relief. The pain of victims shattered my heart, but their tears also gave me new courage and determination to wipe their tears and support them every possible way.
I would like to cite an incident in Gorkha that touched my heart. Directly and indirectly, I was involved in distributing relief supplies to victims of Manbu VDC in Gorkha, considered one of the most affected remote areas. It was heart-rending to witness those people of Gorkha walk for about six hours to receive minimal supplies of relief, and that too was uncertain. I was traumatized with the pain of our brothers and sisters. Although I feel blessed to be able to share in their misery, I acknowledge that my small support is like a drop of water for a thirsty person in the desert.
So I would like offer some suggestions based on my experience as a citizen of Nepal as to how we can bounce back together and share in the collective grief irrespective of our caste, creed and geography.
Nepal is a disaster-prone country due to its difficult terrains, fragile geomorphic condition, high peaks and slopes, volatile tectonic movements, variable climate, rough topography and additional factors such as increasing population, unplanned settlement, narrow roads, poor infrastructures, mushrooming high-rises, low literacy and so on. Natural disasters like earthquake, floods, landslides and lightening are frequent, causing colossal physical damages and losses of human lives.
But the challenge now is to transform this devastation into an opportunity for development. In this regard, I would like to highlight some key issues.
As immediate rescue is nearly over, victims now expect at least temporary relief. Moreover, they need means for subsistence and shelter. I appreciate indomitable efforts in rescue and relief of Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and international rescue teams whereas timely and proactive presence of other governmental agencies was less than expected. This is now the time for the government and other stakeholders to address this emergency.
In this context, visionary leadership is crucial. Political leadership, without being biased by political motives, should show their readiness to share people’s grief. The example of Gujarat is worth mentioning. The visionary and selfless political initiation of Narendra Modi was the source of development in Gujarat after the devastating quake there in 2001. He maintained his position as Chief Minister for three consecutive terms due to his diligence and commitment for well-being of people of Gujarat. This proved to be a stepping stone for Modi to be one of the most popular Indian PMs till date. Hope our leaders can learn from this. Similarly, examples set by China, Japan and Chile in post-disaster reconstruction must be thoroughly studied.
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This is the time for harmony and collective effort. This is our motherland and every citizen has an equal stake in it. Our sovereignty is attached to our blood and soul. Tears of the Himalayas are also matter of pain in the hills and the Tarai, and vice versa.
But some people seem intent to fragment Nepali generosity and harmony. Ulterior motives even in such an emergency are not only shameful; I would label it an insane mentality of so-called intellectuals. I think this is the time to bridge our gaps; welcome the traumatized and victimized to share their sorrows.
Various experts say that the awakened beast will take its own time to settle. In such circumstances all we can do is live in safer places to minimize the threat. Geologists have ascertained that some areas of Sindhupalchowk, Dolakha, Gorkha, Nuwakot, Rasuwa and Kavrepalanchowk are not fit for settlement as they are prone to floods and landslides. So, these areas should be evacuated and people residing there should be shifted to safer areas in the hill and the Tarai. I believe that this resettlement scheme will enhance harmony and brotherhood among Nepalis.
A comprehensive mapping for feasibility of permanent settlements should be carried to ensure its sustainability. With a vision of developing such settlements as ‘model towns’ the government should set certain standards while constructing houses. The government should build model houses in selected areas of hill and the Tarai; and priority should be given to shifting most affected communities there.
Simultaneously, the benefits and viability of model housing schemes can be replicated in other areas. Moreover, policy to permit only the houses complying with set standards should be adopted, if private sector is willing to provide houses for victims.
The priority should be a comprehensive and practical scheme for settlement of people from these affected districts. Providing corrugated aluminum sheet is temporary measure, whereas they need permanent shelters in the long run. So the government should have short, medium and long term planning for renovation and resettlement. Some donors and entrepreneurs are proposing to support victims by constructing houses in minimal cost but the government should set standards for such shelters in terms of their feasibility, viability and durability.
In this regard, the government at first needs to identify exact number of victims that are to be provided shelter and relocated. The selected areas can either be acquired through land pooling from unused government land or exchanging land of individual ownership with lands that have been idle for long. The government should initiate Integrated Settlement System by providing necessary utility services.
The Integrated System will not only help resettle victims but it will also be easier for government to establish infrastructure at minimal cost. This will enhance communal harmony and cultural assimilation where indigenous knowledge and asset will be preserved and shared.
Establishment of well-facilitated satellite towns in the periphery should be encouraged by making such cities comply with environmental criteria. Furthermore people residing in such nuclear cities should commit to plantation to maintain environmental balance so that their efforts will contribute to increase the volume of forest resources.
As historical evidence shows, Juddha Samsher tried to utilize domestic resources as much as possible to normalize the lives of people after the 1990 BS earthquake and had clearly responded to foreign supporters that he and his government would try to enlist their help only when necessary. This self-pride is something that has to be emulated by our leaders and policymakers. Even after the devastating earthquake, international community and development partners have shown their keenness to support rehabilitation and reconstruction, but I think the government should be bold enough to tackle the problem, prima facie, by itself. The support of external donors should be complimentary and specified as per our needs. At the same time, administrative and transaction costs need to be properly analyzed and the government should dare to reject support which aims to bounce back the fund in their respective countries in the form of consultative fees.
As support from international development partners for rehabilitation and reconstruction is essential, unconditional support should be accepted with gratitude.
So far I know, Nepal has satisfactory track record of debt repayment. I believe if international donors can either convert loan into humanitarian aid or waive the loan taken by Nepal for different purpose or at least reschedule loan repayment, postponing it at least for five years, it would be significant support for rehabilitation, reconstruction and further development and prosperity of Nepal. This will help Nepal rise on its own, without being dependent on international donors.
Besides, the government, as far as possible, should discourage support with ulterior motives and it should set such a mechanism to channelize all support from single window. For instance, various supporters claim that they have provided relief materials including tarpaulin to victims that seem to outnumber number of affected people. It is thus questionable if they manipulate information for cheap popularity.
Furthermore, the government should keep in mind national interest and act in accordance with our foreign policy priorities while accepting or rejecting any support.
Providing shelter is a part of rehabilitation process; the displaced need to be assured of their basic rights by providing them with means of subsistence, opportunity for employment and a conducive environment to live. The provisions the government has declared for victims seem incomplete as they try to resolve immediate needs, ignoring socio-economic aspect of reconstruction and rehabilitation. To address this issue, the government should try to prioritize skillful training opportunities and mobilize its internal resources by providing micro credits at minimal interest so that they can initiate their own business. Priority should be given for utilization of local raw materials and technology.
If the government addresses these issues, the socio-economic problems of discrimination and inequality can be minimized, but failure may further worsen the situation. Our motherland needs our collective effort. It is indeed high time to pay our debt to mother Nepal. A patriotic citizen does not show his/her greed at such times. In this scenario the government should announce a policy to motivate migrated youths to return to their hometown and contribute to help Nepal rise again. It is time that they utilize the skills acquired in foreign land for our development.
Earthquake does not kill by itself; most of the casualties are due to destruction of defective residential houses and shopping complexes. Compliance with Building Codes should be strictly monitored and there should be no hesitation to dismantle structures that do not comply with the codes. Moreover, the construction of high-rise building in the Kathmandu Valley and its surroundings should be revised considering the composition of soil of the valley.
Most developed countries are proud of their history and culture and they are always enthusiastic to preserve their heritage. Without hesitation I can say that Nepal is one of the treasures of the world, with numerous cultural heritages, historic sites with scenic beauty and lasting symbols of Eastern Civilization, decorated by spirituality, art, architecture and aesthetic values. But we do not cherish, familiarize, preserve and renovate our treasures, nor do we have a sense of pride in our history and culture.
The disastrous quake has undoubtedly inflicted severe damages to our cultural heritage that symbolize our religious, archaeological and cultural importance. It is unfortunate that centuries-old cultural sites and heritages were destroyed including those at UNESCO World Heritage Sites. This has not only converted our beautiful touristic sites into rubbles but also led to slackening of tourism industry. We could lose our originality unless renovation and reconstruction of these heritages done timely. So the government should immediately take the initiative to protect the valuables from the rubbles and keep them safe. Priority should be given for renovation by mobilizing internal resources and support from UNESCO.
However, we need to realize that we are blessed with a long-standing legacy of human civilization, art and architecture. We still have skills, capable hands and strength gained from this united feeling to rebuild and resurrect what we have lost. Dharahara that holds the sentiments of every Nepali crumbled in 1990 quake as well but capable hands of our ancestors and the determination of the leader helped restore its glory. Now it is our responsibility to yet again restore the splendid beauty of symbolic heritages including Dharahara.
Another crucial aspect is utilization of humanitarian aid collected for Nepal within the country and abroad. We have been hearing that various individuals from foreign countries, agencies and organizations directly and through social media have collected huge amounts for rehabilitating victims, but a serious question is raised as to how these funds being utilized. How can these funds be made transparent? How can we be assured that the funds will reach the needy? This is the reason I suggest a proper channel for distribution of funds through a single window where most affected areas, most affected people and the needy get the share they deserve in a transparent way.
Various news media have covered that handsome amounts are being raised for Nepal but most of them are neither recorded nor efficiently channeled. This indicates that there are some ambiguities in fund collection and distribution by non-government sector. It is however shameful that some people are trying to cash the devastation for personal gain.
I take this forum to appeal to donor agencies and individuals providing humanitarian support to distribute relief materials to actual needy and I would also like to request our brothers and sisters to humbly reject humanitarian aid if you are not among the victims or the affected. Let the need prevail over greed; let the assistance reach the needy. Similarly, it is my request to suppliers of relief material to provide hygienic and usable supplies considering the need and urgency without treating us as lab rats. The assistance should be out of humanity, not charity.
The role of monitoring agencies is crucial in such emergency in order to maintain market mechanisms and minimize distortions like carteling, black marketing, unnatural price hike and so on. We should monitor if business sector follows business ethics, maintains professionalism and humanitarian contributors provide their support without being biased. In this regard CIAA will be active in supervising performance of other government agencies in this process of rehabilitation and reconstruction. At the same time CIAA will be more vigilant to irregularities that might prevail in this process of distribution of relief and disbursement of other resources for reconstruction and rehabilitation. CIAA will further monitor effective implementation of rehabilitation and reconstruction of master-plans, building codes and standard of other infrastructural amenities.
This disaster beyond our imagination has posed some critical challenges as to how the rehabilitation and reconstruction can be made more effective and sustainable to change this devastation into an opportunity for prosperous new Nepal. It can be turned into opportunity if rehabilitation and reconstruction plan could analyze problems of our development efforts of the past and their consequences at present. Our planning today should be environmentally resilient and at the same time effective to cope with the challenges due to disaster and the challenges ahead.
This devastation has helped the world recognize the loss and potentialities of Nepal at the same time. If we can capitalize on this opportunity for extending mutual harmony, cooperation and amity with the rest of the world, development and prosperity can be achieved in due course of time. Not only internationally but if we materialize this opportunity internally, our dream for more harmonious, integrated new Nepal will be a reality.
The reality cannot be changed, but a better future can be built through our positive mindset. As time heals every pain, we need to show our resoluteness, collective efforts relegating our political ideologies along with determination and commitment of every individual for prosperous Nepal.
We need to march ahead with one motto, one dream of prosperous new Nepal.
The author is Chief Commissioner of CIAA
