Post-earthquake Recovery in Nepal: A Study and Analysis of Post Disaster Perception and Needs for Housing Recovery After 2015 Earthquake

Abstract

In 2015, massive earthquakes of 7.8 and 7.4 magnitude struck Nepal. This resulted in severe economic and infrastructural damage, not to mention many human casualties. The government of Nepal has identified 625,000 houses as fully destroyed and 180,000 houses as being partially damaged. This research is a comparative study of traditional-urban, peri-urban, and remote rural settlements of Nepal which were severely hit by the earthquake. It provides an overview of interests and perceptions of local communities in terms of the recovery process. Furthermore, this research also identifies resilience in terms of basic service recovery (basic shelter, electricity, water supply, telecommunication, groceries/food) and existing challenges in housing recovery programs. Assessing the different settlement types individually also allows for tailored policy recommendations to bridge related gaps. From the survey conducted, it can be seen that earthquake affected people’s perception of housing (re)construction has changed considerably and that they are more interested in having earthquake resistant houses after the 2015 events. Analysis also shows that, unlike in urban areas, people in rural areas tend to build stronger houses when they understand the scientific reason behind earthquake-induced damages. Lack of financing is a major hindrance for reconstruction in all study areas, and there is a need for government and financial institutes to engage to create favourable financing schemes.