National
Second Anniversary of Gorkha Earthquake: Govt for building back better Nepal
Emphasising on the Build Back Better (BBB) recovery, the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) on Wednesday shed lights on recovery and reconstruction works in the last two years to mark the second anniversary of the Gorkha Earthquake.Emphasising on the Build Back Better (BBB) recovery, the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) and the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) on Wednesday shed lights on recovery and reconstruction works in the last two years to mark the second anniversary of the Gorkha Earthquake.
At a seminar titled ‘Post-earthquake Reconstruction to Disaster Risk Reduction: Lesson Learned in Mainstreaming BBB in the Recovery and Reconstruction Effort in Nepal’, organised with the support of Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), works and achievements of the government, donor agencies, including Jica’s contribution in diverse sector of recovery based on BBB model were highlighted.
Addressing the programme, NRA Chief Executive Officer Govind Raj Pokharel thanked various partners for their support in carrying out reconstruction and recovery works. People in various quake-affected villages have understood how to build quake resilient house, he said.
The NRA also highlighted the overview of Japanese assistance for a wide range of reconstruction and recovery support for Nepal.
On the occasion, Jica showed its commitment to assist Nepal in the Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) with a long-term project, operating its Senddai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030) in Nepal, which is the first major agreement of the post-2015 development agenda endorsed by the UN General Assembly, following the 2015 third UN World Conference on DRR.
Speaking at the programme, Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Masashi Ogawa said as a true friend of Nepal and a country with a long history of natural disaster, Japan will continue to support the BBB in Nepal.
Japan has committed Rs30 billion in support for the reconstruction and recovery in Nepal. Recovery assistance, and housing and school reconstruction is two major ongoing Jica projects. The agency has so far trained 10,000 people to make earthquake-resistance buildings. Out of 300 quake-resistance schools targeted for Jica support, 83 schools are being rebuilt in its first phase of the programme.
Kimio Takeya, technical advisor to the president of Jica, emphasised the unique contributions Japan could make to enhance DRR resilience by taking advantage of its first-hand experiences as an earthquake-prone country.
Jica has also lent its expertise for rehabilitation of cultural heritage in Kathmandu and Patan. The agency has been working on the construction of public infrastructure, including roads, bridges, hospitals in the quake-affected districts.