Kathmandu: Four years since a catastrophic earthquake destroyed much of central and eastern Nepal, a remote Himalayan area is still reeling with what looks like irreparable damage.
Nestled in the foothills of Langtang Mountain, Helambu has become a textbook example of how not to rebuild after a disaster. Unattractive tiny huts made of blue corrugated iron sheets dot the foothills around the ruins of houses reduced to rubble in the earthquake.
“It was not how I wanted to rebuild. But it was all I managed to construct with my savings and the money provided by the government,” said 44-year-old Gyalbu Lama. His new home cost Lama around 700,000 Nepalese rupees ($6,230), but it’s too small for his five-member family.
Exactly four years ago, the earthquake pounded Helambu along with the rest of the country, claiming over 9,000 lives. It destroyed about a million homes and pushed an estimated million people into poverty. Helambu was known for its natural and cultural heritage but became one of the worst-hit areas.
Now, almost a third of the houses have yet to be rebuilt due to delays in relief distribution, a shortage engineers and red tape, villagers say. Lama’s feelings resonate across the area, especially among the poor.
The mayor of Helambu Rural Municipality, Nima Gyalzen Sherpa, said the small size of government-provided reconstruction grants and delays in their distribution led to a rise in slum-like houses.
“It’s impossible to build a house with 300,000 rupees,” Nima said.
On Thursday, Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli spent much of the day inaugurating newly constructed buildings, inspecting quake-hit structures and attending programs in the capital, Kathmandu, marking the fourth anniversary. (PTI)
