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Agence France-Presse

Billions of dollars poured into Nepal after a powerful earthquake devastated the country three years ago is being misdirected towards building unnecessary new homes where old ones could have been salvaged, experts warn.
Survivors of the 7.8-magnitude quake that killed nearly 9,000 people in April 2015 are being pushed to construct new buildings they do not need, casting doubt on the effectiveness of the government’s US$9 billion reconstruction effort.
“It is proposing the wrong solution for a lot of people,” said Noll Tufani, Nepal country director for Build Change, a charity specialising in disaster-proofing.

Building quake-proof homes was a condition of the US$4.1 billion pledged to Nepal by international donors under the tagline “build back better”.
The government identified 708,000 families whose homes had been damaged and set up a US$3,000 cash subsidy programme to encourage them to construct homes that would withstand future seismic shocks. 
Three years later, just 15 per cent have been rebuilt under the US$2.1 billion scheme.
The sluggish reconstruction effort has been hit by political infighting, bureaucracy and confusion among quake victims over how to obtain the subsidy.
My house did not collapse but suffered cracks after the earthquake. I’m glad I did not have to tear it down
Shekhar Prasad Timilsin, village resident
Many felled their damaged homes to build smaller ones – often at huge cost – instead of quake-proofing their mud and brick dwellings by retrofitting them with reinforced beams.
Build Change estimates that some 250,000 homes could be salvaged in this way, while another 150,000 rebuilt since the disaster would also need to be retrofitted.
Sturdy wooden pillars secure Shekhar Prasad Timilsina’s house in Dungkharka, a village 45km east of Kathmandu, as workers busily mix concrete and bend rods on his porch. 
“My house did not collapse but suffered cracks after the earthquake. I’m glad I did not have to tear it down and could retrofit it,” the 69-year-old said. 
The National Reconstruction Authority, the government agency overseeing the rebuilding effort, only approved retrofitting midway through last year.
“We were unsure what to do earlier. With the grant we could have built only a small house,” said Indra Lal Shrestha, a trained retrofitter.
He plans to retrofit his own family home rather than knocking it down.
“We can live like we used to … and are not forced to take on large debts to rebuild,” he said.
Many villagers live in mud and stone houses two-and-a-half storeys high, with space to house animals and store grain as well as accommodate a large extended family. But the cost of rebuilding with the money provided is beyond many families. 

Meanwhile the government-approved designs for new homes are much smaller, forcing families to adjust farming practices that are the main source of income in rural, impoverished Nepal.
Yub Raj Bhusal, the head of the reconstruction authority, concedes more homes could have benefited from retrofitting.
“Retrofitting is important, it should have started earlier,” he said. “But now that we have opened doors, we expect there might more people interested to retrofit and retain their original homes.”
Twin earthquakes in Nepal made it easier for traffickers to sell women into slavery
The UK government’s Department for International Development (DFID) has committed US$7.6 million to a retrofitting project with Build Change.
So far around 50 homes have been completed. The government has earmarked around 25,000 homes for retrofitting but DFID and Build Change say more could be done.  
Rebuilding has picked up. The government says it is on target to complete reconstruction by 2020, but faces an estimated US$1 billion shortfall for rebuilding homes alone.


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An earthquake-damaged house secured for retrofitting in the village of Dungkharka in Kavre district, some 45km east of Kathmandu. Photo: AFP

In this photograph taken on April 13, 2018, retrofitter Indra Lal Shrestha works inside an earthquake-damaged house in the village of Dungkharka in Kavre district, some 45 km east of Kathmandu. Billions of dollars poured into Nepal after a powerful earthquake devastated the country three years ago is being "mistargeted" towards building unnecessary new homes where old ones could have been salvaged, experts warn. Survivors of the 7.8-magnitude quake that killed nearly 9,000 people in April 2015 are being pushed to construct new homes they do not need, casting doubt on the efficacy of the government's $9 billion reconstruction effort. / AFP PHOTO / Gopen RAI / TO GO WITH Nepal-earthquake-anniversary, FOCUS by Annabel Symington and Paavan Mathema

In this photograph taken on April 13, 2018, workers retrofit an earthquake-damaged house in the village of Dungkharka in Kavre district, some 45 km east of Kathmandu. Billions of dollars poured into Nepal after a powerful earthquake devastated the country three years ago is being "mistargeted" towards building unnecessary new homes where old ones could have been salvaged, experts warn. Survivors of the 7.8-magnitude quake that killed nearly 9,000 people in April 2015 are being pushed to construct new homes they do not need, casting doubt on the efficacy of the government's $9 billion reconstruction effort. / AFP PHOTO / Gopen RAI / TO GO WITH Nepal-earthquake-anniversary, FOCUS by Annabel Symington and Paavan Mathema

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foundation-stone-for-police-academy-1-684 www.narendramodi.in

A bulletin board outside the LRI (Learning Realm Internationl) School's Confucius Classroom praises the Nepal-China relationship. 06JAN18 SCMP / Sarah Zheng

Nepal police academy

Infrastructure work in Manaslu, Nepal. Photo: Retailnewsasia.com

(151101) -- RASUWA, Nov. 1, 2015 (Xinhua) -- Fuel tankers of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) arrive after receiving the petrol assisted by Chinese government at Timure near Rasuwagadhi border point in Rasuwa, Nepal, Nov. 1, 2015. Nepal received the first batch of Chinese fuel grant Saturday night. (Xinhua/Sunil Sharma) ****Authorized by ytfs****

Nepalese students holding placards take part in a protest to show solidarity against the border blockade in Kathmandu, Nepal November 27, 2015. The middle hills and the capital Kathmandu have suffered fuel and cooking gas shortages after protesters in the south switched to blocking supplies from India, Nepal's largest trading partner, almost two months ago. Many in Nepal accuse India of supporting the protesters - a charge New Delhi denies. India has expressed its dissatisfaction with parts of the constitution, although it also says it cannot allow trucks to enter Nepal while conditions are unsafe. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar

epa04958716 A line of taxis as drivers wait for fuel at a petrol station in Kathmandu, Nepal, 01 October 2015. The Nepalese are facing an acute crisis of petroleum products and other essential commodities after neighboring India stopped supplies. The Nepalese government has stopped providing fuel to private number plate vehicles across the country due to the fuel shortage. Nepal, a small landlocked country, depends on supplies from India. EPA/NARENDRA SHRESTHA

A Nepali police stands guard at a vote counting area in Kathmandu on December 8, 2017. Nepal has just concluded historic parliamentary elections aimed at drawing a line under years of conflict and political turmoil in the Himalayan country. / AFP PHOTO / PRAKASH MATHEMA

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang (R) speaks with Nepalese Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli (L) during a signing ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 21, 2016. Nepal's prime minister Oli left on March 20 for a week-long visit to China aimed at deepening ties following months of frosty relations with neighbouring India. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / LINTAO ZHANG

epa06080570 Nepalese human rights activists hold placards during a protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu, Nepal, 11 July 2017. Dozens of activists of Nepal Human Rights and Peace society staged a protest in front of the Chinese and Indian Embassies over the growing tension between the China and India, urging both countries to resolve issues through dialogue. EPA/NARENDRA SHRESTHA

President Xi Jinping and new Nepalese Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli. Photo: AFP

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The government says it is on target to complete reconstruction by 2020, but faces an estimated US$1 billion shortfall for rebuilding homes


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