News

Entering into the fourth week of the D(ark)-Day relief efforts continue tirelessly. Given that magnitude of the disaster and under-resourced Nepal, managing the basic amenities for the quake affected is still a major challenge. Like the two sides of the coin – there are positives and negatives. There are stories of misutilisation of government resources such as helicopters by politicians in the name of ‘monitoring’ of affected sites while politicians such as Gagan Thapa and parties like Bibeksheel Nepali giving everything to the national cause. Other highlights of the media coverage on the earthquake:

Government showing the way!

Amidst all criticism, government is doing is fair bit. Ekantipur reports that all money collected in the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund directly goes to the affected as there is very negligible administration/management cost incurred in the process in stark contrast to the administration costs of the international development agencies. Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation has also come up with short, mid-term and long term plans for the protection and reconstruction of heritages damaged by the earthquake. Government has also directed Constituent Assembly members not to misuse helicopters in the name of monitoring visits that need to be used for relief and rescue operations, Pahilo Post reports. Nepal Police also deserves a laudable applause, especially for its disseminating information at this time of emergency. As an instance, the agency was requested on Twitter to provide statistics about the damage of the police offices caused by the earthquake and within hours, it produced a detailed statistics of the extent of the damage throughout the country.

Youth led political forces follow suit!

Gagan Thapa, political leader from Nepali Congress led a team of 10 menial workers and 40 engineering students from Thapathali Engineering College helped to construct 48 temporary houses in Kumari village of Nuwakot. Nepali Times also covers relentless efforts in relief works covered by Bibeksheel Nepali – a new political force very popular among the young generation. CPN – Maoist also conducted a health camp in Singati Bazar of Dolakha district to 300 quake victims with fractured limbs and communicable diseases such as diarrhea. This team was led by a Dr. Icidia from Japan.

More Support

Even Buddhist nuns from the monasteries trained in Kung Fu – a martial art are doing their bit to support the quake affected by removing rubble to clearing paths; distributing food and helping to erect tents to provide shelter. Himani Trust is also providing relief support to quake affected in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Sindhupalchowk and Dhading. Likewise, last week OFDA from US government claims that it airlifted 1820 additional rolls of plastic sheeting for temporary shelter. Indian government through IIM Calcutta and IIM Kharagpur has also launched a Needs Assessment Survey to detail down exact necessities for the quake victims to trigger more support.

Fear Factor

Fear of the earthquake is still looming on people’s hearts and minds and is taking toll with continuous aftershocks. Some of the public expressions regarding their fear:

• “Hope that these horrific days won't be returning back. We don't have respite even for a single second.”
• “As the evening creeps in, the question - to sleep or not to sleep inside the house looms large.”

Aljazeera has also covered of striking fear as buildings continue to crack in. The Guardianregards mental and emotional aspect another ‘invisible’ disaster. Similarly, Pahilo Post writes about people outside Kathmandu valley scared of returning back to Kathmandu.

Fear is not just related to the earthquake and the aftershocks. Gordon Brown, former UK prime minister also fears of child traffickers eyeing Nepal tragedy and capitalizing this vulnerable situation and vulnerable children.

Picture of Positivity

Some negative incidents trigger positive responses. Kunda Dixit opines that after the earthquake incident, Nepalis are surprisingly ‘upbeat’ and united to develop Nepal. We have also witnessed positive stories of Nepalis gradually learning to cope with the disaster. A photo on Twitter displays Radio Melamchi - a local FM radio station based in Sindhupalchowk, the most affected district operating from maize field. Prisoners also have requested to be given opportunity to support in the relief and rebuilding efforts.

 

All’s well that ends well. Hope this disaster opens doors and windows for a developed and prosperous Nepal.