CMYK

PAGE 6

THE HIMALAYAN TIMES, FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2015

www.thehimalayantimes.com

Rebuilding rural Nepal

TheHimalayan
T

A THOUGHT

FOR

Lessons for improvement

T O D AY

University politics are vicious precisely because the

stakes are so small.
Henry Kissinger

Make it effective
P

oor distribution mechanism of petroleum products has led the common people to rely on other
means of getting them either from the black market
or by using their personal link with high authorities.
Private vehicles are seen plying on the streets of the
capital though the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) had
distributed them fuel twice after the acute shortage
of fuel occurred following the promulgation of the
new constitution on September 20. Reports from
various customs points reveal that a limited amount
of petrol, diesel and cooking gas are entering the
country, but the people are finding it very difficult to
get them. People spend hours queuing in one after
the other gas station hoping that they would get a few
liters of petrol or diesel, but to no avail. While a number of people have resorted to smuggling petroleum
products from across the border to make quick money, more worrying are the news reports that some of
the oil supplied to the NOC is finding its way into the
black market in the country. But the concerned authorities do not seem to be much bothered about
controlling such unscrupulous activities which have
caused much distress to the general people.
The concerned agencies and security personnel
should not remain aloof from the prevailing situation
which will cause considerable loss to the national
economy. Once the black marketing of fuels and other essential commodities become a common phenomenon in society it will
be an uphill task for the
government to control it
in the long run. It is the
ordinary and low income
people who will have to
bear the brunt of this. The
people who have been
quite supportive to the
government may lose
their patience if the scarcity of fuel, medicine and
other essential goods
continues, particularly
when they do not perceive that what is available is
not being distributed in a fair manner. Although the
government has announced a number of measures
to end the fuel scarcity by importing petroleum products from China and Bangladesh, it must also assure
the general public that whatever amount of fuels it
gets will be distributed to the people throughout the
country in an effective manner.
The government and the NOC need to make public the amount of petroleum products entering the
country on a daily basis and the amounts distributed
to the people to maintain transparency of their distribution. A fair number of security personnel should
also be deployed at gas stations or in LPG refilling
stations or distribution centres so that nobody can
seize the cooking gas cylinders, petrol or diesel and
sell them at exorbitant prices in the black market.
Media reports also suggest that some employees at
the NOC and Ministry of Supplies and Commerce are
not cooperating with the government. The uncooperative employees should be replaced with honest
ones to support the government fully. An effective
mechanism should be developed to ensure that all
the users can get a certain amount of fuel after a week
or two in a hassle-free manner. So far the NOC has
taken a number of experimental measures which
have proved to be ineffective. Life can be run without
great hardship even during the crisis provided that
there is an effective distribution system.

,IFECANBERUN
without great
hardship even
during the crisis
provided that there
is an effective
distribution system

DIPENDRA GAUTAM

he Gorkha seismic sequence started with the

strong 7.8 Richter scale
magnitude earthquake followed by aftershocks of 6.7
and 7.3 magnitudes have
caused severe damage
amounting to much more
than 400 billion Nepalese
rupees. About 95 per cent
of the buildings damaged
are concentrated in the
countryside of central Nepal and adjacent areas.
However, dialogues regarding rural reconstruction are
overshadowed by something else. As the monsoon
has bid farewell already, the
weather extremity could hit
hard during winter in the
high hills of central Nepal.
Immediate interventions
are needed in terms of
re-framing the rural reconstruction modules and
thereafter activities. Rural
Nepal seldom accentuates
the sophisticated technologies, rather their resolution
is no more than the vernacular technologies to be
adopted for rebuilding
their shelters. In lieu of
modern and uneconomic
reconstruction, rural Nepal
needs vernacular earthquake resistant technologies for cost-effective rebuilding processes. With
the aim of reassuring the
vernacular construction
technologies engrossed by
local materials and ma-

ambling is going unabated and it is only occasionally that we get to hear about gamblers being
arrested. In a major anti-gambling operation carried
out by the police in Kathmandu valley 17 gamblers
were arrested in a Gaushala based house recently.
The police raided the house at night after complaints
from the neigbours saying that the house had become a gambling den. In the past few weeks, including Tihar, several such raids have been made. Gambling for high-stakes is an evil which has negative
impact on society as it makes people bankrupt. The
Gambling Act ,1963, still is in force which provides
for light punishment for gamblers. It is high time the
Act was amended to make it sufficiently tough.
Meanwhile, a distinction should be made
between those who gamble with their friends
for small stakes and mainly for entertainment and
the others who are all out to make a fast buck, making losses high enough to make or mar gamblers.
Meanwhile, the provision of not permitting
Nepali citizens from gambling in casinos should be
strictly enforced no matter who they are. Casino operators should be made responsible for letting Nepali
gamble there.

s,%44%23
They are trying
to survive

Integration of vernacular technology

and incorporation of justified
components within such construction
should be accomplished before
deployment of reconstruction efforts
vernacular flavor was thus
successfully constructed
and handed over within
five days. In this process, six
masons were also trained
about gabion band technology and other earthquake resistant construction technologies using native low cost resources as
well.
Tracking back the vernacular aspects of rural Nepal for comfort and compliance is a must for future

reconstruction. In such
practices pondering over
the modernized sophistication doesnt assure comfort and low cost. For instance, Barpak village will
be awesomely adorned if
we are again reconstructing the houses in a traditional fashion assuring
seismic safety components. Engrossing the vernacular technology in
terms of capacity building
of local workmanship and

indigenous skills are direly

needed in Nepal to perform large scale reconstruction works, making all
those efficacious with assurance of safety in future
events. Still people flaunt
their local technologies of
construction. Surely their
good aspects are to be endorsed and somehow rectified. However, such technologies are nevertheless
sufficient for assuring seismic safety in rural Nepal.
So, integration of vernacular technology and incorporation of justified components within such construction should be accomplished before deployment
of reconstruction efforts.
Rather than stockpiling the
stones without any other
earthquake resistant features, gabion bands could
be the ideal solutions.
Small amount of timber
and proper selection of
building form along with
the vernacular sense may
turn the performance paradigm without altering the
vernacular flavor. The precepts of timber engendering the rest of the materials
and majestically standing
in most of the damaged
houses have tales to deflect
the attention towards any
other foolish techniques.
However reinforcement of
all those grandfather-led
technologies are direly
needed and somehow, it
has been done through ga-

s4/0)#3
SHELBY WELINDER

he Nepalese community in
England united last week in
protest of the unofficial, yet ongoing, blockade between Nepal
and India. The demonstration
coincided with a visit from Indian Prime Minister Narendra
Modi to the UK.
Despite coinciding with the
religious holiday of Diwali,
hundreds of Nepalese people
attended the march on Londons Parliament Square. Over
three dozen Nepalese organizations, including Gurkha regiments and other prominent
Nepali figures, joined in solidarity, hoping to raise awareness among Nepalese and Indi-

an government officials of the

need to end the continuing
two-month-long blockade
without delay that has crippled
the small Himalayan nation.
Speaking to the crowd, the
Nepalese community expressed frustration over the
current situation. Councillor
Dr. Bachchu Kaini stated, We
are here to raise our voice not
only to the Prime Minister of India but also to the British government and international
community. So that they can
bring this issue to light and address it, along with moving forward to aid the plight of millions of Nepalese people. Even
after overcoming the devastating earthquake earlier this year,

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Nepalese people fear for their

countrys future and, most of
all, for their friends and family
back home. There have been
violent demonstrations in Nepal since the passage of a new
constitution by the Nepalese
parliament in September. Although over two thirds of the
lawmakers ratified it, a few minority groups feel marginalized. The Mahdesis living in Nepals Terai region blame the
constitution for the division of
the Tarai region.
Agitators have been picketing
the Nepal-India border point at
Birgunj, where 70 per cent of
Nepals imports pass, badly affecting major trading points.
Moreover, the United Nations

(UN) has expressed concern

over the inability to transport
essential supplies across the
border. UN chief Ban Ki-moon
has called for a lifting of the
blockade, invoking Nepals
right of free transit.
The recent events have adversely affected daily life across
Nepal. The Nepalese who gathered in Parliament Square understand the issues regarding
Nepals new constitution, but
they believe the blockade is an
inappropriate response, because it damages their countrys sovereignty, hurts their
ability to resolve the issue internally and, most importantly,
puts the entire country into a
deep humanitarian crisis.

s#!24//.

A live conference
SUSANN ROTH & JANE PARRY

live demonstration showed in real time

how even fairly basic computers and
mobile phones can support existing opensource digital health solutions to deliver better care. Using a scenario of maternal/child
health and malaria to illustrate the role for
interoperable HIS in continuity of care, the
live demo showed how a barcode-based
unique health identifier can be created at
any point of care. Information can then be
shared not only with national databases, but
also with other points of care in different locations and over time.
The conference also got participants out
of the meeting rooms with four site visits to a
BPJS regional division office; a district hospital that had deployed integrated HIS and
BPJS information systems, and two primary
care clinics at different stages of implementing ICT-enabled HIS. As the week drew to a
close, it was clear that the transition from the
MDGs to the SDGs was an over-arching
theme... blogs.adb.org/blog

black-marketing of fuel is just

one example. Enterprising
people running fuel across
borders are in fact saviours of
I totally disagree with your
the economy. Because of them
news story Fuel black
buses are able to run and
marketing to take toll on
people can go to work
economy (THT, Nov.19, Page
generating income and paying
1). The story states that the
tax. Money is currency, it
black marketing of fuel will hurt circulates. The workers income
the economy. Being a Westerner isnt locked away; it pays for
living in Nepal I am familiar
food and services. This pays the
with demographics, finance
bus driver, the vegetable seller,
and economies, and how these the barber, the phone recharge
are all interdependent. When a
seller etc. Imagine if there was
government fails to ensure that no fuel at all. Hospitals would
basic needs of the people are
shut down, no food being able
met, people do what they
to be transported to the cities
need to do to survive. When
from the farms, no generators
government control and
for cooking and lighting. This
manipulation of finance and
would be a dire situation
markets fail, people find a way
indeed. Without the ability to
to make things work for
earn an income, people will
themselves. The free market
starve, taxation payments
always finds a way. The
will cease, and a severe

downward spiral will begin, a

spiral that will take a lot to
recover from. To put this in
perspective, the losses to the
economy caused by this
prolonged fuel crisis will be
huge, and will probably equal
the cost of building a 4-lane
super highway direct to China.
Doing this would ensure
medicines are available,
continual fuel availability, and
prevent the risk of future
embargoes from India. It would
gain Nepal greater strength and
independence. Lets not be
too hard on the fuel black
marketeers, like everyone, they
are just trying to survive.
Tes Tesla, Kathmandu

Apprehensive
With all the festivals coming

bion construction practices in remote areas.

Unlike gabions, frugal
conscience could be instrumental if we are able to
use timbers from community forests in rural Nepal.
However, although the earlier practice should be
guided by outnumbering
plantation in the vicinity
before chopping down a
single tree, reconstruction
cant accelerate undermining environmental issues
and sacrificing the ecosystem either. We havent
brainstormed in reconstruction and still budgetary allocations have to go
through stringent policies
and practices of the bureaucracy. The paralyzed
National Reconstruction
Authority (NRA) should do
everything possible with
regard to rural reconstruction. Discussions should
not be seemingly broader,
rather all the trysts are to be
overshadowed by expert
and innovative ideas because we cant afford prodigal solutions and going towards frugality is the only
way left. Corruption in
terms of technology transfer, budget malfunction
and fabrication with voluminous reports without assurance of proper safety are
visible challenges. However, in every step, challenges
would ooze out and rule
out the construction works.
The writer is an engineer

sTHT 9%!23!'/

Valley eateries
unhygienic: Study

Humanitarian crisis

Game of chance
G

sons, a team of experts

demonstrated a vernacular
rural house within five days
in Mankhu of Dhading district.
The house was constructed implementing gabion bands, which is an innovative technology so as
to assure safety of houses
during earthquakes and
lessening the damage in
terms of structural as well
as non-structural failure.
Careful selection of clay in
the neighborhood and using local craftsmanship
and stones available from
the knocked down rubble
were used for reconstructing a house of a Dalit family
in Dhading. The house was
constructed along with a
chimney installed within it
so as to improve the health
of rural woman. Moreover,
it was observed that a few
of the houses within the
neighborhood had chimneys installed in houses. An
integrated reconstruction
aspect was deployed for
construction of the house
with a small budget using
local craftsmanship, masons and resources.
The didactic lessons
from the 2015 Gorkha
earthquake was carefully
considered like prohibiting
organic clay, assuring homogeneity of walls and
proper connection between the stones used for
constructing a wall. A low
cost housing technology in

study has revealed that food served

in many eateries across Kathmandu
Valley is unhealthy and that the authorities concerned have not paid due attention to improve the situation. Hotels and
restaurants have been an essential part of
life in the fast growing Valley, but the food
served at these eateries in the city is not
healthy and that the situation is alarming, the study has revealed. Recommendations made by a base line survey on
food safety situation of lower and medium scale hotels and restaurants in Kathmandu have never be implemented,
posing serious threat to the health of
Kathmanduites, the report says. The
study team had recommended the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) to train
hoteliers and workers on food safety, hygiene and sanitation, establish minimum
food safety measures such as toilets,
apron and cleanliness, establishing regular inspection system, promote regular
check up drives, time-frame for regular
monitoring of prepared foods among
others. However, the KMC has not even
included any of these recommendations
in its plans and programmes. We dont
have the funds for all these, head of the
Public Health Department (PHD) of
KMC Dr Baburam Gautam, said. According to Dr Gautam, the recent study was
conducted citing the responsibility of
KMC toprotect Valley denizens from the
harmful effects of unsafe food. The survey of food situation of lower/medium
scale hotels and restaurants was conducted by the Urban Nutrition Programme of PHD.

Air tickets in short

supply in Nepalgunj
Himalayan News Service
Nepalgunj, November 19, 2005

F
unsuccessful in resolving the
protracted political situation
and making petroleum
products easily available. As a
result, we are having a hard
time to arrange two square
meals a day and to commute
around. In this adversity,
studies are likely to be
hampered as it will be difficult
for students, teachers and other
staff to travel to and from their
institutions. As a student, I feel
much apprehensive of how the
government will tackle this
situation in the days to come.
Anit Kunwar, via e-mail

to an end, time has come to

reopen all the schools, colleges,
universities which had
remained closed for around a
month. Though some schools
had resumed their classes
shortly after Dashain holiday,

Himalayan News Service

Kathmandu,November 19, 2005

many of them could not do so

due to lack of fuel. The
condition will be no different to
colleges which are supposed to
restart their classes in the first
week of Mangsir. As a matter of
fact, the government has been

Letters to this column should be addressed to

Letters C/o Edit Page Editor, The Himalayan Times,
Post Box 11651, APCA House,
Baidya Khana Road, Kathmandu, Nepal

email: edit@thehimalayantimes.com,
Fax 0977-1-4771959

ollowing the suspension of flights by

Cosmic Airlines, air tickets are in short
supply in Nepalgunj. Locals who had
benefited from cheap ticket prices of
Cosmic Air are now worried after the
cancellation of regular flights. The shortage of air tickets at offices of other airlines in Nepalgunj started following Cosmics flight cancellations. Earlier, a Fokker jet of Cosmic Airlines was operating
regular flights on Nepalgunj- Kathmandu-Nepalgunj route twice daily. Cosmic
Airlines has suspended all domestic
flights since today after Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) refused to provide it with
fuel as the airlines is yet to clear out its
dues of Rs 85 million to NOC. Due to
shortage of air tickets, I am compelled to
miss an important meeting, Jaydew
Awasthi, a local wholesale dealer of medicines, said.
All tickets of available flights had been
booked for the upcoming week, he said.
He said tickets were easily available while
Cosmic Airlines was operational. Many
local entrepreneurs, including drugs
suppliers, are stranded due to the cancellation of flights.
Meanwhile, people thronged ticket
counters of Buddha Air and Yeti Air but
no tickets were available.