Nearly 15 months after the devastating Jajarkot earthquake, the government deployed 50 technicians in Jajarkot and 40 in Rukum West for the Detailed Damage Assessment (DDA) in February third week. The deadline for DDA presentation, initially set for March third week, has now been extended by another month.

The distribution of the second tranche for temporary housing is also in its final phase, but concerns are rising that reconstruction during the monsoon might create additional hardships for the affected families.

A 6.4 magnitude earthquake, with its epicentre at Lamidanda of Barekot Rural Municipality, had wreaked havoc in Jajarkot, Rukum West and Salyan districts on November 3, 2023. The federal government pledged Rs50,000 each to the affected families in two tranches for temporary housing, aiming to help the families construct makeshift shelters within three months. But the delay in distributing the second tranches left many waiting for financial aid for an extended period.

“If funds for permanent reconstruction arrive as slowly as those for temporary housing, the reconstruction process might take at least two more years,” said Bir Bahadur Giri, chairman of Barekot Rural Municipality. “The plan was to begin reconstruction in areas where DDA has been completed. But the reconstruction likely starts during the monsoon due to procedural delays, worsening the hardships for earthquake victims.”

Giri added that lack of preparation could lead to a shortage of skilled labourers for permanent housing construction.

The people’s representatives say they are worried about the delayed reconstruction process. Chandra Prakash Gharti Magar, mayor of Bheri Municipality, said the slow progress in DDA has further delayed reconstruction efforts. “Most wards have yet to complete the DDA. If it were done quickly, identifying beneficiaries and requesting necessary funds would have been easier,” he said. “Since everything is delayed, even decision-making by the local and district disaster management committee takes time. If reconstruction begins right before the monsoon, what kind of houses will be built?”

According to preliminary data, a total of 40,041 beneficiaries were identified in Jajarkot and 34,997 in Rukum West. Of these, only 25,000 in Jajarkot and 26,000 in Rukum West have received the second tranches to construct temporary shelter. According to Kul Bahadur GC, Rukum West’s chief district officer, efforts are ongoing to distribute funds to the remaining beneficiaries.

Once the DDA reports are finalised, the local disaster management committees will determine the exact number of beneficiaries. Jajarkot’s Chief District Office Mekha Bahadur Mangrati said that based on the DDA reports, the district disaster management committee would request funds from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA). He estimated that completing these procedures would take at least another one and half months.

The federal government allocated Rs21 billion for quake reconstruction in the current fiscal year of 2024-25. According to Dijan Bhattarai, spokesperson at the NDRRMA, the Ministry of Finance sent Rs3.15 billion to the authority in the first phase. The NDRRMA estimates that the earthquake damaged around 76,000 private homes and nearly 600 public structures.

With the delay in the reconstruction process, earthquake victims have spent a second winter in temporary shelters and now face another monsoon under leaking roofs. “The cold winter has just ended but now we must endure another rainy season in these makeshift shelters,” said Bal Bahadur BK of Sanibheri Rural Municipality-3 in Rukum West. “How much longer must we suffer?”

The DDA officials claim that geographical challenges, difficulties in locating beneficiaries and noncooperation from local people’s representatives have hindered the detailed damage assessment process. “In some places, even houses with minor damage were demolished, while some people have already rebuilt their homes independently. The lack of standardised damage assessment criteria has caused classification issues difficult,” said engineer Nabin BC. “Since multiple families reside in a single house, assessments take more time. In some cases, evaluating a single home takes 1 to 3 hours.”

The government has pledged Rs400,000 per household for permanent housing reconstruction. However, the victims and the people’s representatives criticise the sluggish approach. “Had the federal government initiated the process at the beginning of this fiscal year, some victims would already have moved into permanent homes,” said Birkha Bahadur Bista, chairman of Sanibheri Rural Municipality. “Now, by the time DDA is completed and district authorities approve the beneficiary list, the monsoon will have begun. Will victims focus on protecting their temporary shelters from rain or start building new homes?”

The earthquake claimed 154 lives in Jajarkot and Rukum West, with an additional 44 casualties recorded in temporary shelters due to harsh conditions. Another 12 victims lost their lives in landslides.