Nepal May Need More Than $10 Billion to Rebuild
Ram Mahat, the Finance Minister of Nepal, stated today that the cost to be able rebuild back from the earthquake could possibly amount to 10 billion dollars and may take several years. The tragedy that occurred on April 25, 2015 now has a death toll that amounts to 4,300 which could rise to 6,000. The government of Nepal is in a struggle right now to save those who may still be trapped because of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit the country last Saturday.
Mahat states that even though they still have faith that there are a lot of survivors still trapped, they do not have enough equipment to rescue these people quickly. Even in the country’s capital Kathmandu, many buildings have collapsed and they are still looking for ways to get people out of the rubble. The figure that Mahat has estimated for the reconstruction of Nepal is actually half of the country’s twenty billion dollar economy. This is smaller than any given state in the United States. Nepal plans to appeal to the world for help financially once rescue efforts have been exhausted.
Completely Unexpected
Mahat has said in the interview that Nepal is absolutely unprepared for the scale of the unimaginable devastation that the earthquake has brought, and that it was completely unexpected. They are currently overwhelmed and having difficulty providing relief for the 28 million people of Nepal that have been affected.
The Finance Minister welcomes the support of the whole world, including countries bordering Nepal such as India and China. In the next coming days, the minister plans to create cost figure estimates that will cover the relief effort needs, and ask the global community for its support. As of the moment, their priority is to search for survivors, rescue them, and provide the needs of the injured.
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