The National Planning Commission has released the Executive Summary of Post Disaster Needs Assessment (Nepal Earthquake 2015) along with Vol. A: Key Findings
Highlights of the Executive Summary
• It is estimated that the total value of disaster effects (damages and losses) caused by the earthquakes is NPR 706 billion or its equivalent of US$ 7.0 billion
• While calculating the recovery needs, PDNA does not consider the replacement value, particularly with respect to the housing sector. It specifies a core house with a minimum area as the recovery need, and estimates the total needs on the basis of the cost of construction per square feet
• Annual economic growth in FY 2014- 2015 is expected to be the lowest in eight years, at 3 percent (basic prices)
• The earthquakes will end up pushing an additional 2.5 to 3.5 percent Nepalis into poverty in 2015-2016 which translates into at least 700,000 additional poor
• The death toll of young people could have been much higher considering that nearly 7,000 schools were completely or significantly damaged. Similarly, if the earthquake had struck at night, and not in the middle of the day, there would certainly have been greater casualties
• The recently secured consensus among the largest political parties to promulgate a new constitution at the earliest adds optimism to efforts aimed at restoring the trajectory of higher economic growth
• Nepal also needs to tap unconventional assets at its disposal such as the growing financial and technical clout of the diaspora, skills of temporary migrants, the spirit of volunteerism of its youth at home and abroad, and new sources of philanthropy
The Executive Summary document is here. (Source: Nepal Earthquake 2015: Post Disaster Needs Assessment (Executive Summary), National Planning Commission)
Post Disaster Needs Assessment Vol. A: Key Findings is here. (Source: International Conference on Nepal’s Reconstruction, Ministry of Finance)