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In Pictures

Gallery|Poverty and Development

Nepal earthquake, a winter of reconstruction

Government announces start of reconstruction work as thousands of Nepalese freeze out in the cold.

Nepal rebuilding/ Please Do Not Use
A man offers prayers at the damaged Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu. [Niranjan Shrestha/Al Jazeera]
By Niranjan Shrestha
Published On 18 Jan 201618 Jan 2016
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Kathmandu, Nepal – Nearly 9,000 people were killed and more than 900,000 homes damaged in last year’s deadly earthquake in Nepal. Nine months after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake, the challenges facing survivors have increased as cold weather sweeps through the mountainous country.

With delays in the establishment of a National Reconstruction Authority, which has stalled the rebuilding of homes, many survivors are facing a harsh winter living in thin tents or huts made from metal sheets and bamboo. The government said work on rebuilding nearly a million houses as well as the heritage sites destroyed in the earthquake would begin this month.

At least six earthquake survivors are reported to have died from the cold because of inadequate shelter. Young children and the elderly are especially vulnerable.

The government has started giving each family affected by the earthquake $100, but many say that is insufficient to buy warm clothes and everyday essentials.

Volunteers, local grassroots initiatives and non-profit organisations in Nepal have been working tirelessly to provide families with supplies to keep them warm through the winter.


READ MORE: Nepal earthquake survivors face winter’s cold


Nepal rebuilding/ Please Do Not Use
Nepalese people stand in the sun for warmth near the damaged Basantapur Durbar Square in Kathmandu. [Niranjan Shrestha/Al Jazeera]
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Nepal rebuilding/ Please Do Not Use
Locals pass bricks as they help to rebuild the damaged Boudhanath stupa in Kathmandu. The massive mound-like building dominates the Kathmandu skyline. [Niranjan Shresthto a/Al Jazeera]
Nepal rebuilding/ Please Do Not Use
An aerial view of one of the many camps for earthquake victims in Kathmandu, Nepal. Around 7,000 people are living in this camp. [Niranjan Shrestha/Al Jazeera]
Nepal rebuilding/ Please Do Not Use
Laxmi Nepali sits under the sun with her one-and-a-half month old son, Dilip, at a camp in Kathmandu. The baby is suffering from respiratory difficulties due to the cold weather. [Niranjan Shrestha/Al Jazeera]
Nepal rebuilding/ Please Do Not Use
An elderly man watches the reconstruction work being performed on his damaged house in Bhaktapur, Nepal. [Niranjan Shrestha/Al Jazeera]
Nepal rebuilding/ Please Do Not Use
A Nepalese woman salvages bricks from her house which was destroyed in the earthquake, so that her family can build a new home in Bhaktapur. [Niranjan Shrestha/Al Jazeera]
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The devastation in Bhakpatur is chilling. Survivors are still struggling to rebuild their lives among the ruins of their homes as government assistance has been slow in coming. [Niranjan Shrestha/Al Jazeera]
Nepal rebuilding/ Please Do Not Use
A Nepalese woman surveys the wreckage of her home in Gairimudi, Dolakha District, 170km from Kathmandu. [Niranjan Shrestha/Al Jazeera]
Nepal rebuilding/ Please Do Not Use
A Nepalese woman emerges from her temporary shelter made of wood and tin near her damaged house. [Niranjan Shrestha/Al Jazeera]
Nepal rebuilding/ Please Do Not Use
A young Nepalese girl studies in her tent in a camp for earthquake survivors. [Niranjan Shrestha/Al Jazeera]
Nepal rebuilding/ Please Do Not Use
A family makes their home in a temporary bamboo shelter in Gairimudi, Dolakha District. [Niranjan Shrestha/Al Jazeera]
Nepal rebuilding/ Please Do Not Use
Nepalese earthquake survivors wait to receive blankets being distributed by a local charity in Gairimudi, Nepal. [Niranjan Shrestha/Al Jazeera]
Nepal rebuilding/ Please Do Not Use
NGOs have been distributing winter supplies for earthquake survivors who now find themselves homeless. [Niranjan Shrestha/Al Jazeera]
Nepal rebuilding/ Please Do Not Use
Earthquake survivors wait in sandalled feet awaiting fresh supplies of blankets to keep them warm. [Niranjan Shrestha/Al Jazeera]
Nepal rebuilding/ Please Do Not Use
Smiles as Nepalese earthquake survivors wrap themselves in blankets provided by a local charity. [Niranjan Shrestha/Al Jazeera]


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