The document summarizes Nepal's large owner-driven housing reconstruction program following the 2015 Gorkha earthquake. It provides statistics on the number of affected districts, beneficiaries, deaths, and estimated economic losses. It notes that 87% of housing reconstruction was nearing completion by 2020 and vulnerable households were resettled. Challenges included lack of local governments, land issues, staff changes, and mobilizing masons. Strategies included an owner-driven approach, one grant per household, grievance handling, and capacity building. Lessons highlighted establishing housing databases with local governments and ensuring access to finance for urban housing reconstruction. Key recommendations focused on retrofitting dissemination, resettlement policies, and continued support for vulnerable groups.

1. National Reconstruction Authority
International Conference on Nepal's
Reconstruction (ICNR 2021)
Dr. Chandra Shrestha – Executive Committee Member, NRA
The world’s largest owner-driven
housing reconstruction programme
National Reconstruction Authority

2. Private housing:
overview
2015
• 32 of 77 districts affected by 2015 Gorkha Earthquake
• 755,549 beneficiaries identified (498.852 FD + 256,697 PD)
• 8,975 people died and 22,000 people injured
• From US $ 7 billion losses, half was in private housing sector
2020
• EQ victims in safe permanent shelters
• 87% nearing completion (TB – 791,787)
• 90% (of 4,257) vulnerable and 12, 284
landless households resettled
• Generated at least 240 million person
days: employment for 200,000 people
for more than 3 years
National Reconstruction Authority

3. Challenges and
issues
National Reconstruction Authority
Institutional and organisational
• Lack of local governments at the initial stage
• Preliminary level of disaster preparedness
• CBS’s limited know how on running beneficiary surveys
• Political lens suspected in beneficiary selection
• Dissemination of Housing Technology particularly retrofitting
• Land and finance problem in urban housing
• High frequently changes in CEO, Secretary and other senior NRA staff
• Paucity of Engineers and Masons in the market
• Engineers absence from their designated sites
• Pre-occupied NGOs
• Almost non-existent insurance policy

4. Challenges and
issues
National Reconstruction Authority
Operational
• Non-functional “Reconstruction Fund”
• Defining vulnerable households a struggle
• Widely-scattered houses on vulnerable land
• Mobilization of over 3,000 Engineers and 70,000 plus masons
• Unavailability of land in mountainous districts for resettlement
• Access to finance - serious problem for urban sector
• NRA's treatment as a typical Line Ministry instead of a ‘special instrument
• Conservation of vernacular architecture

5. Strategies and
approaches
National Reconstruction Authority
• Build Back Better through available and innovative technology
• Owner driven approach
• Primarily in-situ reconstruction
• Uniformity in grant amounts
• One household - one grant
• Grievance handling – ensured justice
• Beneficiary methodology - combination of census and verification model
• Promotion of Labor barter arrangement (Parma System)
• Special focus on vulnerable and marginalized households
• Demand based capacity development of technicians and masons
• Engagement of local governments as far as possible
• Mobilisation of concerned government agencies in their sectors of expertise

6. Lessons learned
National Reconstruction Authority
• Reconstruction policy created reconstruction framework
• National and institutional leadership was key for successful reconstruction
• Three tranche system ensured earthquake resilient reconstruction
• Consolidated 80 dispersed settlement with livelihood opportunities
• Housing database with local governments for handling all disaster cycles
• Retrofitting has great potential to protect household shelter, save assets
and heritage
• Urban housing requires intervention in land and access to finance
• Reconstruction agency with clear chain of accountability
• Extra cautious approach for supporting marginalized households
• Grievance handling – an exemplary action to maintain justice
• NGOs need proper guidelines and encouraging environment
• Revalidation of compliance – ensured housing resilience

7. Lessons learned
(cont.)
National Reconstruction Authority
• Risk of politicization of reconstruction
• Communication is as important as taking decisions and implementation
• Meticulous planning to meet demand surge of all construction workers
• Division of labor between politically appointed policy makers and government
bureaucrats must be outlined in the Reconstruction Act
• The SPV should be open towards new construction technology and methods
• Banking system tranche payments contributed to success in reconstruction
• Achieved political consensus through Acts and by conduct

8. Conclusions
National Reconstruction Authority
• House reconstruction in urban areas is extremely difficult
• Local governments should maintain housing database systems
• The owner driven approach was successful but requires adjustment
• Damage assessment survey lacked local government steering
• Tranche payment through banking structures should be integrated in the system
• Vulnerable households need settlement in safe locations with livelihood
opportunities
• The banking system could not ensure housing loans for needy households
• Implementation through normal bureaucratic policies & systems was ambitious
• Transparent policy & fact-based decisions prevent unwanted political incursions

9. Key
messages
National Reconstruction Authority
1. Local governments should establish and maintain housing databases
2. Organised resettlement policy must be initiated for vulnerable settlements
3. Building registration practice should be initiated in rural municipalities
4. Retrofitting technology needs to be disseminated nationwide
5. Organised & focused awareness campaigns are essential for housing resilience
6. A functional mechanism for access to finance needs to be assured
7. The present NDRRMA requires further strengthening
8. Empowering women and marginalized communities must be continued
9. Technological sensitization in 32 districts needs nation-wide application
10. NRA’s disengagement strategy must be designed and implemented with the
National Planning Commission, NDRRMA, MoUD and local governments