Karnali province producing skilled workers for reconstruction in quake-hit area

The Karnali province government has decided to prepare skilled workers (masons) for reconstruction in Jajarkot earthquake-affected areas.

The province government is planning to impart training to rebuild environment-friendly physical infrastructure, reduce the disaster-caused damage adhering to the necessary policies and methods and prepare human resources with knowledge, skills and technology in the community.

A tripartite agreement has been signed for this. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) was signed between Karnali Province Training Academy, National Society of Earthquake Technology Nepal and local levels on Wednesday.

At the MoU signing programme, Chief Minister of Karnali province Raj Kumar Sharma said that Jajarkot earthquake would be taken as an opportunity for rebuild.

"There is no alternative but to bring into action the lessons learnt by the earthquake," he said, adding had we been able to learn from the 2015 Gorkha Barpak earthquake, we would not have suffered such a huge loss from the Jajarkot earthquake".

Chief Minister Sharma said although the government's initiatives in search, rescue and relief after the earthquake were significant, the reconstruction work has been delayed.

An agreement has been signed to conduct training for the people's representatives, employees and carpenters for the construction of earthquake-resistant buildings and structures in five local levels including Jajarkot Chhedagad Municipality, Barekot Rural Municipality, Rukum West Chaurjahari Municipality, Triveni Rural Municipality and Darma Rural Municipality of Salyan.

The mason training will be for 20 days. The people's representatives from all the local levels of the quake-hit districts, including Jajarkot, Rukum West and Salyan will be provided skills related to building reconstruction methods, principles of earthquake resistant design and capacity building of resistant practices, it is informed.

Rs 14.6 million will be spent for conducting the training. The training will prepare 60 skilled workers.

Executive director at the National Society of Earthquake Technology and National Society Nepal, Surya Narayan Shrestha said the programme would also help in the construction of earthquake-resistant buildings in compliance with the building code.