KATHMANDU: Each year on the Nepali date of Baisakh 12, Nepal remembers the devastating earthquake of 2072 BS (2015), a day that continues to haunt the nation with its tragic memories.
That powerful tremor, which struck at 11:56 AM, shattered millions of lives. It took away homes, laughter, loved ones, and left thousands injured. Even a decade later, the pain and the scars of that disaster remain unhealed.
Despite the passage of ten years, many collapsed houses in the narrow alleys of the capital and the remote hill villages have not yet been rebuilt.
In places where more memories were destroyed than buildings, reconstruction remains incomplete. Nepalis are still waiting.
The 7.6-magnitude earthquake, with its epicenter in Barpak, Gorkha, claimed 9,079 lives. It completely destroyed nearly one million private homes, 7,553 schools, 49,681 classrooms, 544 health facilities, and partially damaged another 653 health centers.
Additionally, 415 government buildings, 920 cultural heritage sites—including 170 listed as World Heritage—and 383 security agency buildings were damaged. The quake also affected 3,212 water supply systems, 53 roads, and 299 human settlements.
The Central Implementation Unit (Buildings and Housing) under the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction, along with its subordinate agencies, has made public the reconstruction progress.
According to the unit, 834,267 out of 835,185 eligible beneficiaries have received the first installment of the private housing reconstruction grant.
Of those, 770,775 individuals (92.45%) received the second installment, and 743,249 (89.15%) have received the third.
Prakash Aryal, head of the Central Project Implementation Unit, acknowledged that the Rs 300,000 housing grant provided by the government was insufficient to fully rebuild homes.
Many individuals, lacking the resources to supplement the grant, delayed reconstruction.
Aryal also cited challenges such as funding issues, prolonged grant distribution processes, and disputes with local communities during the reconstruction of archaeological heritage sites, all of which contributed to delays.
However, he assured that 99% of the reconstruction work is expected to be completed within the next year.
So far, 253 partially damaged government buildings have been repaired, while 288 new model buildings have been constructed to house various government offices. Twelve reconstruction projects are still underway.
In terms of integrated settlement development, 97 projects have been completed in various districts, while nine are currently in progress.
Out of the 1,126 health facilities planned after the earthquake, 336 out of the 544 buildings assigned to the unit by the National Reconstruction Authority have been completed.
The remaining structures are still under construction. According to the unit, 14% of tower reconstruction work is also pending.
As the nation marks a decade since the disaster, the question remains: what happened to the epicenter, Barpak, and the promises of full recovery?
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