Home > About Town > Quake early recovery costs Nu 87 m

Quake early recovery costs Nu 87 m

10 November 2009

The early recovery activities in the earthquake affected places should start immediately and continue for the next six to 12 months, according to the joint rapid assessment for recovery, reconstruction and risk reduction report prepared by the government, the World Bank and the United Nations. The assessment team ascertained the early recovery priorities on the basis of its visits to households and discussions with the affected people. The early recovery activities include support for temporary shelter, livelihood, education, health, water, sanitation and psychological measures. The reconstruction programme would involve the construction, retrofitting or repair of damaged houses, schools, government offices, basic health units, and cultural and heritage buildings. The government will soon be preparing an implementation strategy, which includes resources for the programme, institutional arrangements, a disbursement mechanism and technical assistance for the earthquake resistant construction. The huge investment requires a strategic financing plan and strategy. The resources will need to be raised and spent over two to three years’ time. Director of the Department of Disaster Management (DDM), Namgay Wangchuk, said a plan will have to be prepared which will involve all the actors. The DDM will play the lead role.
Based on a national-level guideline, each dzongkhag will prepare an implementation plan on a priority basis. While the DDM will monitor, backstop and create awareness at the local level, actual implementation of the strategy will be carried out by the dzongkhags.
The Department of Urban Development and Engineering Services (DUDES) and Standard and Quality Control Authority (SQCA) will soon come up with a traditional design. The people at the local level, especially carpenters, masons and gewog heads, will be trained.
The government has put up a requisition for some 60,000 CGI sheets and requested the international community to fund the training programme. A few hundred armed forces personnel will also be soon sent to the east for the recovery and construction works.
Namgay Wangchuk said the recovery works have to be started by the onset of winter. However, in view of limited resources, he said there was a need to asses the necessity of early recovery phase. “If we can pull the required things together and people are willing to build permanent buildings, we will straightaway go for reconstruction,” he said, adding, however, that early recovery was a standard international norm.
The total cost of early recovery, reconstruction, and disaster risk reduction of the September 21 earthquake was estimated at Nu 2,192 million. The early recovery measures will approximately cost Nu 87 million, reconstruction measures will cost Nu 2005 million, disaster risk reduction, Nu 50 million, and implementation support, Nu 50 million. The total approximate loss from the earthquake was Nu 2,501 million with the largest component in shelter since some 7,290 people are left without adequate shelter.
Meanwhile, the October 29 earthquake has left 113 houses damaged in Trashigang, Mongar, Lhuentse and Pemagatshel. Additional damage on Lhuentse Dzong, one lhakhang and a school in Pemagatshel were also reported. The dzongkhag relief officers are in the field collecting detailed reports on the damages.
The international community has so far provided Nu 94 million and committed Nu 129 million for His Majesty’s relief fund.

The early recovery activities in the earthquake affected places should start immediately and continue for the next six to 12 months, according to the joint rapid assessment for recovery, reconstruction and risk reduction report prepared by the government, the World Bank and the United Nations.

The assessment team ascertained the early recovery priorities on the basis of its visits to households and discussions with the affected people. The early recovery activities include support for temporary shelter, livelihood, education, health, water, sanitation and psychological measures.

The reconstruction programme would involve the construction, retrofitting or repair of damaged houses, schools, government offices, basic health units, and cultural and heritage buildings.

The government will soon be preparing an implementation strategy, which includes resources for the programme, institutional arrangements, a disbursement mechanism and technical assistance for the earthquake resistant construction.

The huge investment requires a strategic financing plan and strategy. The resources will need to be raised and spent over two to three years’ time. Director of the Department of Disaster Management (DDM), Namgay Wangchuk, said a plan will have to be prepared which will involve all the actors. The DDM will play the lead role.

Based on a national-level guideline, each dzongkhag will prepare an implementation plan on a priority basis. While the DDM will monitor, backstop and create awareness at the local level, actual implementation of the strategy will be carried out by the dzongkhags.

The Department of Urban Development and Engineering Services (DUDES) and Standard and Quality Control Authority (SQCA) will soon come up with a traditional design. The people at the local level, especially carpenters, masons and gewog heads, will be trained.

The government has put up a requisition for some 60,000 CGI sheets and requested the international community to fund the training programme. A few hundred armed forces personnel will also be soon sent to the east for the recovery and construction works.

Namgay Wangchuk said the recovery works have to be started by the onset of winter. However, in view of limited resources, he said there was a need to asses the necessity of early recovery phase. “If we can pull the required things together and people are willing to build permanent buildings, we will straightaway go for reconstruction,” he said, adding, however, that early recovery was a standard international norm.

The total cost of early recovery, reconstruction, and disaster risk reduction of the September 21 earthquake was estimated at Nu 2,192 million. The early recovery measures will approximately cost Nu 87 million, reconstruction measures will cost Nu 2005 million, disaster risk reduction, Nu 50 million, and implementation support, Nu 50 million. The total approximate loss from the earthquake was Nu 2,501 million with the largest component in shelter since some 7,290 people are left without adequate shelter.

Meanwhile, the October 29 earthquake has left 113 houses damaged in Trashigang, Mongar, Lhuentse and Pemagatshel. Additional damage on Lhuentse Dzong, one lhakhang and a school in Pemagatshel were also reported. The dzongkhag relief officers are in the field collecting detailed reports on the damages.

The international community has so far provided Nu 94 million and committed Nu 129 million for His Majesty’s relief fund.

By Sonam Pelden

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