In Rukum West, the names of more than 8,500 earthquake-affected individuals have been approved. Of those impacted by the quake that struck on November 3, 2023 with its epicenter in Ramidanda of Jajarkot, 8,576 beneficiaries have been cleared for housing reconstruction and strengthening.
According to Chief District Officer Dinesh Prasad Thani, the District Disaster Management Committee approved the list based on the detailed damage assessment prepared by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, which evaluated fully or partially damaged private houses.
The assessments carried out by deployed technical teams were entered into the disaster information system, and the approved names represent beneficiaries from four municipalities of the district.
Among the approved beneficiaries, in Aathbisakot, 96 houses are slated for reconstruction and 351 for strengthening; in Musikot Municipality, 253 houses for reconstruction and 374 for strengthening; in Triveni Rural Municipality, 1,416 houses for reconstruction and 1,970 for strengthening; and in Sanibheri Rural Municipality, 2,935 houses for reconstruction and 1,181 for strengthening. Chief District Officer Thani stated that the details for Chaurjahari Municipality and Bankikot Rural Municipality are yet to be approved.
According to him, the number of beneficiaries was approved by the respective Local Disaster Management Committees in accordance with the Disaster-Affected Private Housing Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Grant Procedure, 2024, and was then entered into the Disaster Information System for submission. The meeting decided to formalize the beneficiaries as per the same procedure and recommend them to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. The meeting also decided to begin preparedness and response measures to minimize potential damage during the winter season.
According to data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, 154 people lost their lives in Rukum West and Jajarkot due to the earthquake, while 26,557 houses were completely damaged and 35,455 houses were partially damaged. A total of 364 people were injured. In Rukum West alone, 53 people died and 32,996 families were identified as beneficiaries.