In the process, the government has already laid out phase-wise plans for reconstruction of some heritage sites and important structures across the country.

Towards improving the living standards of the quake victims, the government has also begun reconstruction of damaged houses.

Schools are among the key public infrastructure hit badly in the April 2015 earthquake.

As the latest reports say, reconstruction of around 4,190 school structures has been completed across the country as of March 12, 2019.

While 3368 of them were taken by the school management committees (SMCs), 64 were assigned to contractors and 758 were supported by the Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs).

Still 2,043 schools including 1437 schools through SMCs, 314 through construction entrepreneurs and 292 schools through NGOs are in the process of reconstruction, informed the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) Project Implementation Unit (Education)’s Senior Engineer Uddhav Nepal.

Addressing a programme organized by NRAPIU (Education) and the Education Journalists’ Group (EJG) in Dhulikhel, Uddhav said the reconstruction of 41 schools has been completed so far and 113 more are under reconstruction in the region.

The authorities are aiming at the reconstruction of 154 schools in Kavre, Sindhupalchok, Dolakha, Ramechhap, Sindhuli, Okhaldhunga, Kathmandu and Bhaktapur areas at a total investment of  NPR 9.6 billion with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), USAID and the Government of Nepal.

According to the authorities, the reconstruction of 66 per cent of the schools selected for rebuilding has been completed in Dolakha, Ramechhap, Gorkha, Dhading, Lalitpur, Nuwakot, Rasuwa and Makwanpur districts.

Wish the completed school projects would soon resume their regular activities offering help to the needy.

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In a latest move, the Nepal Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MoFAGA) issued a circular directing all the local bodies to strictly follow the building code for ‘right implementation of disabled-friendly physical infrastructure’.

The move came in response to the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens (MWoCSC) complaints over faults in implementation of the building code.

Citing Article 42 (3) of the Accessible Physical Structure and Communication Service Directive for Persons with Disabilities-2013 Act, the Women Ministry pitched for equality in ‘access to public services’ for the people with physical impairments.

“Despite the legal provisions regarding disabled-friendly infrastructures and the duty and responsibility of the concerned authorities to fully implement the laws, municipalities and rural municipalities have yet to take these issues into consideration while granting approval to design and drawings,” MoWCSC said in a statement.

Even the government-funded buildings and other infrastructures constructed or being constructed are not disabled-friendly, it added.

In response, MoFAGA urged local bodies to address the concerns affecting disabled through proper implementation of the code.

“Local levels should not pass the blueprint of any house or building which is not disabled-friendly,” the Ministry said.

Directives of this kind matter a lot for a country like Nepal that has been relentlessly fighting for rights and social justice.

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This 26-km tunnel will supply water from the Melamchi river to the residents of the Kathmandu valley, who have been suffering a severe water shortage in the region.

The initiative is coming after a reported loss of about 40% of the 100 million liters of daily water supply, which was going waste due to leakage.

The scope of the USD 335 million project included building of the tunnel and also the construction of a 29-km access.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the Government of Nepal worked hand-in-hand to address this long pending issue.

Within a span of 18 years and with the financial aid of USD 145 million from ADB, the government has brought the project to a promising point in its conception and aims at completing it by early July 2018.

In a joyous breakthrough ceremony, the ADB Director General, Hun Kim said, “I think it is a historic day. Nepal can now tell the outside world that ‘Nepal can do it!’ I think with this kind of spirit, we can overcome any challenges.”

“Today is important because this is the proof that we can work together, and we can deliver. ADB will continue to work with the government until the day when the people in Kathmandu valley get water 24/7,” he added further.

The breakthrough ceremony was also attended by other important dignitaries like the Vice President of Nepal Nanda Bahadur Pun and Minister for Drinking Water Bina Magar.

How can the inhabitants benefit?

With the new development, the customers of Kathmandu Upatyaka Khanepani Limited will now avail an additional 170 million liters of water per day, by the end of 2018. Moreover, the new system ensures water supply for at least 2-4 hours.

The Roadmap for the Future

ABD has planned to work with the Government of Nepal to incorporate the objectives of the Country Operations Business Plan (COBP) for the year 2017-2019, which focus on:

• Better road and air transport connectivity, and trade facilitation;
• Sustainable urban development and assessment of economic corridors to improve linkages with large, fast-growing neighboring countries;
• Energy sector reforms and investments in generation, transmission, and distribution systems;
• Upgrading skills and education; and
• Water resources development and management, and transformation from subsistence to commercial agriculture.

 A Recap of Past Objectives:

ADB had earlier decided to assist the Government of Nepal with its development objective of accelerated, sustainable, inclusive economic growth as per the Country Partnership Strategy for 2013-2017.

The framework of the initiative focused on:

• The growth in economic opportunities in infrastructure
• Access to economic opportunities through projects and programs in education which included skills development, water supply and sanitation and rural infrastructure
• Mainstreaming gender equality and social inclusion and supporting related reforms which would also improve access to basic services
• Promoting social protection through work on disaster risk management, skills development and knowledge partnerships

On an End Note!

The latest improvement supported by ADB is definitely a solution to one of the long-awaited key infrastructure concerns of the Kathmandu Valley. Hope more such international collaborations will take the country’s infrastructure development to the next level.

 Also read: ADB initiatives for Nepal for 2017-19.

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