Quake victims taking loans to rebuild houses

By Raju Lamichhane,Rukum West, Dec. 27: Earthquake victims in Rukum West have begun reconstructing their houses by taking loans, as the government failed to introduce a permanent housing reconstruction plan 14 even months after the earthquake hit the district.

Dinesh Shahi, a resident of Aathbiskot Municipality-9, said that the temporary shelter they were living in was cramped and inconvenient, prompting him to borrow money to build a new house. 

Shahi and his wife endured significant hardships over the past year living in a temporary shelter after the earthquake destroyed their house. With their son now working abroad as a breadwinner, the couple has taken it upon themselves to start building a small house. 

Concerned about the chilling cold, Shahi said they began construction quickly and planned to inform the local government about the new house soon.

Similarly, Motilal Jainsi, another earthquake victim from Chaurjahari Municipality-1, also took a loan to construct a house. His house was also destroyed by the earthquake, and the temporary shelter was neither warm during winter nor cool during summer, making it unsafe and uncomfortable. 

Living in the shelter with his old parents, grandchildren, son, daughter-in-law and daughter had become increasingly difficult, compelling him to start building a safe house. Jainsi has already approved the map of the house for a one-story concrete house with six rooms, estimating a cost of approximately Rs. 2.5 million.

While the government had promised economic relief for rebuilding houses to the quake victims, the victims said the long wait for reconstruction plans left them disappointed. Most have been living in makeshift shelters, hoping for the government to initiate permanent housing programmes.

Pushpa Badi, Mayor of Chaurjahari Municipality, expressed concern that the lack of safe housing had been weakening the community every day. Badi argued that if the government had at least instructed victims to build their own homes earlier, over 50 per cent of the earthquake-affected individuals could have completed their houses by now. 

With early assurances of grants for reconstruction, the victims remain reliant on government promises for a long time, Badi said. 

Local authorities have suggested that if the government at least defined the standards for the type and cost of houses to be built, individual housing construction could progress rapidly. Many affected residents are still living in temporary shelters or damaged houses, awaiting clarity from the government.

Birkha Bahadur Bista, chairperson of Sani Bheri Rural Municipality, emphasised that earthquake-resistant and safe housing should be included in the government's reconstruction standards. He added that local governments were committed to supporting the construction of safe homes using local resources, materials and skills wherever possible.