Nepal to Prepare Long-Term Plan to Rebuild Capital After Earthquake

Nepal will come up with a long-term plan for the reconstruction of the country’s earthquake-hit capital, Nepal’s Ambassador to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay told Sputnik Monday.

NEW DELHI (Sputnik) – A strong 7.8-magnitude earthquake and a series of aftershocks ravaged the country on April 25, claiming the lives of over 7,000 people and injuring more than 14,000, according to UN estimates.

“We will make a long-term plan for the revival of the capital city Kathmandu,” Upadhyay said, adding that dozens of buildings on the world heritage list were now in need of restoration.

Countries across the world have offered Nepal both financial and practical assistance to cope with the effects of the disaster.

Upadhyay also called on the international community to assist in the rescue of architectural and cultural heritage and “the rehabilitation and revival of Nepal.”

Upadhyay called on the international community to provide 500,000 tarpaulins, as well as food, to Nepal as almost half a million people were left homeless after a 7.8 earthquake struck the country.

"We badly need tarpaulins, blankets, mattresses and food materials. We need around half a million tarpaulins as soon as possible, as almost half a million people have become homeless," he said.

The Nepalese authorities have appealed to international agencies to distribute relief materials as soon as possible, instead of first conducting surveys of the situation in the country.

Nepal is not only receiving help from the Indian government, but ordinary Indian people are also doing their bit to restore the country after it had been shaken by a disastrous earthquake, Nepal's ambassador to India said.

According to the ambassador, he was impressed by the "heart-to-heart contact" average people in India provided following the natural disaster, adding that Nepal is getting "so much relief material" from them.