The  Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) carried out by the National Planning Commission has estimated the monetary loss caused by the April 25 earthquake and its aftershocks to be around Rs 706 billion. Out of that, Rs 517 billion (76 percent) represents the losses of physical assets (wealth loss), and Rs189 billion (24 percent) represents the losses incurred due to reduced business in the tourism sector and loss of food stored in homes (income loss).

Now, the key challenge for the government is to restore the country to at least the pre-quake level. With a bit of hindsight and better planning, if the country could be brought back in a better shape than it was on April 25, which is possible, then the disaster could be prove to be  an opportunity for nation-building.

Build back better

As the government is preparing a large-scale recovery programme on the basis of the PDNA study, there is a widely shared realisation that it has to be a multi-pronged effort, with a strong orientation towards the poorest and the most vulnerable. For this, the government is trying to promote the principle of ‘build back better’. Based on the PDNA, the government has estimated the total recovery needs to be Rs 669 billion that takes into account the cost of reconstruction with specifications, equipment, improved governance and risk reduction. Donor countries have already pledged about two-thirds of this amount in grant and soft loans. Money, therefore, should not be a problem.

The recovery programme, however, would need considerable technical expertise and managerial support from both within and outside of Nepal. The government has recognised that the Nepali diaspora has a huge pool of skills and talent, and would like to contribute to recovery and reconstruction. The PDNA report mentions that the government will make a special effort to utilise their financial and technical resources for recovery and reconstruction. However, no specific announcements have been made to this effect so far, except appointing Shesh Ghale, president of the International Coordination Council of the Non-resident Nepalese Association (NRNA), as a goodwill ambassador to raise funds.

Nepalis abroad

For an effective recovery and reconstruction, the government needs to develop a master plan. The implementation of the plan would then require a huge number of managers, engineers, masons, artisans, plumbers and electricians. To meet this need, the government is planning to partner with academic institutions and professional organisations to develop and support a large number of training and skills development programmes. This strategy is fine as far as it is concerned with skills that can be gained through a few weeks or months of training. Since the reconstruction programme would require sufficient numbers of highly skilled professionals with many years of training and experience (in areas such as construction engineering, remote sensing, seismology, geo-technology, hydrology, anthropology, sociology, agronomy, architecture and planning, among others), the NRNs could be a potential source of supply of these required skills.

In addition to providing relief materials to 17,000 families in eight most earthquake-affected districts, the NRNA has already committed to building 1000 houses for neediest families, and wants to participate in recovery and reconstruction efforts too.
To put the skills and knowledge of the NRNs to effective use, the government should first identify the  skill it needs by type, assess their domestic availability, and determine the deficit. The government can then ask the NRNs to meet the gaps where possible. On part of the NRNA, it can help the process by updating its skills and knowledge database globally along with the terms under which the skills are available to Nepal, pass this information to the concerned parties, help develop terms of references, and provide contact points in Nepal.

Put us to use  

In our view, some of the skills that can be transferred are: higher level knowledge needed to inspect, identify and recommend actions for damaged or destroyed public as well as private structures in all earthquake-affected districts and to assess site specific risks for resettlement and for appropriate settlement planning and higher level construction workers, demolition experts, and crane and heavy equipment operators. Many NRNs from across the world and especially from the Middle-East and Asian countries have already returned to Nepal and have started utilising their skills voluntarily. Some of the knowledge related to engineering (design and construction) and medical assistance can be transferred immediately by conducting seminars, trainings, and formal and informal classes. Actual transfer of innovative skills will be realised if NRNs with engineering knowledge and skills succeed in designing  earthquake-resistant homes, schools and hospitals and those with knowledge of health and agriculture can contribute in rehabilitating earthquake victims--while respecting the financial limits posed by the assistance the government has announced.  

In addition to these, in partnership with the academic institutions and training schools, NRNs can also provide appropriate trainings to the affected locals to improve the supply of skilled labour force in the country. In the long run, after the reconstruction phase is over, should this labour force choose (or is forced) to go for foreign employment, they will be earning more as skilled labourers and remitting more back to their families. If carefully planned and coordinated, a number of retired or semi-retired NRNs would be happy to provide their time for free on a longer term basis while other NRNs could also volunteer for a few months. It is however important to convince them that the government is really committed to build back a better Nepal and that the NRN’s time and labour will not be wasted.

JAGADISH TIMSINA &HOM PANT
Timsina is a senior consultant at the International Maize and Wheat Centre, Melbourne and Pant is a senior economist with the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Canberra, Australia

Published on: 29 JULY 2015 | The Kathmandu Post