146 disaster-damaged houses rebuilt in Jumla, owners to receive payments

By Netra Shahi,Jumla, Mar. 17: A total of 146 houses damaged by different disasters in Sinja Rural Municipality, Tatopani Rural Municipality and Guthichaur Rural Municipality have been reconstructed, and a decision has been made to release payments for the completed homes.

The houses had been completely destroyed by continuous rainfall between October 5 and 12, 2022. 

According to Chief District Officer Deepak Paudel, payments will now be made for 102 houses in Sinja, 34 in Tatopani and 10 in Guthichaur after the completion of construction.

Although local governments had ensured Rs. 50,000 per house for reconstruction, delays in the provincial government’s process had been causing difficulties in releasing the remaining funds. Paudel said that after he assumed office, the matter was prioritised and houses that had completed procedural requirements but had not yet been evaluated were monitored. Following this, a meeting of the District Disaster Management Committee decided that the provincial government would provide Rs. 150,000 per house.

According to reconstruction guidelines, a total of Rs. 500,000 should be provided for rebuilding houses damaged by disasters. Of this amount, the federal government is responsible for 60 per cent, the provincial government 30 per cent and the local government 10 per cent. In line with this arrangement, the local and provincial shares for the 146 houses will now be disbursed, while the federal government has been formally requested to release its portion after the required procedures are completed.

Chairperson of Sinja Rural Municipality, Purna Prasad Dhital, said residents had been facing serious difficulties after their homes were destroyed. 

He said that the work was completed after a long struggle, adding that although several chief district officers had been transferred over the past three years, the reconstruction payments had not progressed until now. Dhital thanked the local administration and all concerned stakeholders for facilitating the process.

According to Bishnu Mahat, chief of the disaster branch at the District Administration Office in Jumla, a survey conducted after the severe floods and landslides triggered by the 2022 monsoon recorded damage to 1,451 houses across eight local levels of the district.

The survey recorded damage to 10 houses in Patarasi Rural Municipality, 23 in Chandannath Municipality, 318 in Sinja, 21 in Guthichaur, 65 in Tatopani, 241 in Tila Rural Municipality, 411 in Hima Rural Municipality and 363 in Kanakasundari Rural Municipality.

However, only 146 houses in Sinja, Tatopani and Guthichaur that have completed all required procedures will receive payments for now. Monitoring of around 60 houses in Tila Rural Municipality is still pending.

Local authorities said that under provisions of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, evidence related to damaged houses must be uploaded through a designated application and approved by local governments before funds can be released.

Mahat said that, under his leadership, a monitoring team including technical staff from the Urban Development and Building Division Office and employees from the rural municipalities inspected the houses, after which the decision was taken to release payments for the 146 completed homes. He added that delays in other local levels were mainly due to their failure to complete the required procedures.