Rukum West faces shortage of skilled human resources to reconstruct temporary housing

By Raju Lamichhane,Rukum West, Dec. 4: Earthquake-hit Rukum West district has started facing crunch of skilled manpower for the construction of makeshift housings and management of the destroyed houses. 

People’s representatives, heads of security agencies and earthquake victims have expressed their hope for the active presence of the army and police at the critical time in the district.

Former minister and member of the House of Representatives, Janardan Sharma of the CPN (Maoist Centre) said that 30,887 members of houses are living under the tents, and informed that there was a lack of skilled manpower to remove the ruins and build new houses in Rukum West.

Sharma said that due to the cold, the health conditions of pregnant women, children and senior citizens were miserable, so temporary housing was urgently needed. 

However, according to former minister Sharma, there is a lack of resources with skilled manpower. “We are at the stage of making a temporary housing, and the manpower has been engaged in facilitating work such as preparing legal documentation, photographs of the damaged houses, victims’ self-declaration, opening of bank accounts, and other decisions.

“There is a concern that it may rain anytime as there is no good weather for past few days, and there is also a fear that people’s health will deteriorate further because of lack of safe homes,” said Sharma. 

There is a lack of skilled manpower throughout the district to demolish and manage the houses destroyed by the earthquake and build makeshift housing. Ravi KC, mayor of Aathbiskot Municipality, said.

KC said that 7,000 houses were in risky condition and could not be demolished and managed safely. He said that the general people who have become mentally disturbed by the earthquake were not in a condition to manage the risky structures. 

Mayor KC said that the need for the Nepali Army and police was even greater at this time as the locals did not have the skills and equipment to avoid potential risks. 

Informing that the army and armed police personnel who were in the villages for search and rescue works immediately after the earthquake have returned to the district, KC said that it was necessary to deploy these trained and organised bodies in the management of the ruined houses and construction of temporary housing.

Chief District Officer Hari Prasad Panta said that vehicles, fuel and additional manpower were needed to mobilise the security agencies in the field. 

He opined that when the manpower of the Nepal Police has to work regularly to prepare details of the damaged houses and for peace and security and temporary accommodation, the armed police and the skilled manpower of the Nepali Army should be deployed in the earthquake-affected areas for the reconstruction works. 

CDO Panta believed that the problem would be resolved soon as the government had decided to mobilise the army and police personnel as needed for the reconstruction work.

Baldevi Malla of Sanibheri Rural Municipality-4, Puranogaun, said that she had stopped going near the cracked house as she was wondering when it would collapse. 

Malla said that she was hoping that the army and police would come because no one would go to near the house, which was in a state of collapse. 

After the earthquake put their house at risk, Malla along with her daughter, daughter-in-law and granddaughter have been living in a tent-roofed shed.