KATHMANDU // Two months after foreign countries and international agencies pledged billions to help Nepal recover from its worst natural disaster, the government has yet to make arrangements to receive the money and has spent nothing on reconstruction.
The United Nations estimates almost three million survivors of twin earthquakes in April and May – or around 10 per cent of the Himalayan nation’s population – need shelter, food and basic medical care. Many of them are situated in mountainous, hard-to-reach areas.
Govind Raj Pokharel, chief executive officer of the newly created National Reconstruction Authority, said the government was unlikely to start spending the money – US$4.1bn (Dh15.06bn) – until October at the earliest. This is due to delays in approving plans and concerns about starting building work in the monsoon season.
“The government’s response has been slow. I accept that,” said Mr Pokharel.
Nepal has been criticised for its chaotic response to the quakes that killed almost 9,000 people. The country failed to adequately prepare even though experts had predicted an earthquake was likely, and the government then struggled to cope with relief.
Four months later, many partially damaged buildings in Kathmandu are still standing and rubble is strewn across public parks. Tens of thousands of people are living in plastic tents, preyed upon by flies and mosquitoes, with muddy paths and no drains.
* Reuters
