Nepal remembers the victims of the 2015 earthquake
The 7.9 magnitude quake killed nearly 9 thousand people, wiped out 90% of homes, hundreds of temples and protected sites. After four years, 50% of displaced people have a home. There remains a widespread corruption that slows down the reconstruction work.
Kathmandu (AsiaNews / Agencies) - With a minute's silence at 11:56 am, the time of the first tremor of the terrible earthquake four years ago, the estimated 9,000 people killed in the catastrophe will be rembered throughout Nepal.
On 25 April 2015, the Himalayan country was hit by a powerful 7.9 magnitude earthquake that destroyed more than 90% of homes and hundreds of temples and protected sites throughout the Kathmandu valley. To date the reconstruction work continues, but about 50% of the displaced people still do not have a home.
Two days ago, Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli paid tribute to the dead at the memorial built in their memory in Kathmandu, at Durbar Square, a UNESCO protected site rebuilt after the earthquake. "I want to offer my condolences - he said - to all those who lost their lives. We are here to remember the pain of that day ... but it is also important to note how much work has been done in the last four years to restore and rebuild what we had lost ".
According to the National Authority for Reconstruction, about half of the families left homeless due to the earthquake are now living in a new home. However, after a slow start of the rebuilding work, today there are still heavy delays due to the widespread corruption of the state apparatus, the constant changesin leadership and a generalized confusion in management.
After the earthquake, a generous solidarity drive took hold throughout the international community. In all, 9 billion dollars were donated. For the government, however, the money will not be enough to rebuild all the buildings and the authorities in Kathmandu estimate the missing funds at four billion. The state has lent around 3,000 dollars to each family in three reconstruction installments. Sushil Gyawali, head of the state agency until 2020, says: "We have a lot to do. We will finish in the next 20 months ".
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