Bishowanath Gaire
Works at: Qatar Fuel-Woqod
Duration of stay in Qatar: 10 years
Position: Retail Operations Administrator
 
Foreign aid is very important for underdeveloped countries like Nepal, but our government needs to deal with the aid with focus and honesty. The Nepalis in Qatar urge the Nepalese government and political parties to join hands and utilise foreign assistance with the highest efficiency and transparency.
We want the government to first fulfil the basic needs of the affected population by providing them with enough food, safe drinking water, clothes, tents and medical and sanitation facilities. None of the citizens should be left homeless or fall victim to malnutrition.
The destroyed private and public properties should be reconstructed as soon as possible. Damaged educational, health and administrative buildings along with cultural heritages need to be renovated within the scheduled time frame.
The government should immediately launch a programme to eliminate risks of post-disaster epidemics and public health complications.
The victims should be provided with low-rate bank loans to rebuild and repair their damaged houses.

K B Hamal
Works at: Doha Technical Laboratory
Duration of stay in Qatar: 13 years
Position: QA/QC Senior Administrator (ISO/IEC 17025 Internal Auditor for the documentation)
 
All victims should be provided with relief and rehabilitation packages. The government of Nepal and other stakeholders should seek thorough advice from earthquake and disaster specialists before starting the reconstruction and renovation process.
They have to make sure the newly-built houses and other infrastructure are earthquake resistant, cost-effective and must be built efficiently and quickly.

Nanda Garbuja
Works at: CGC Current
Duration of stay in Qatar: 4 years
Position: Senior Project Engineer
 
We know Nepal is earthquake-prone as it lies between the Indian and Tibetan tectonic plates. Yet many houses and buildings in the country were not built to be earthquake-resistant.
After the devastating jolt of April 25, foreign countries including China, India, USA, and from the EU and Middle East immediately sent their search and rescue teams, and have promised to provide billions of Nepalese rupees to reconstruct and renovate the damaged infrastructure.
The government should immediately form a task force to assess the destruction on ground level by incorporating local officials and volunteers. The state should provide food and other relief materials to all the victims.
Foreign aid should not come across with irregularity and corruption, and it should not waste away in banks.
Furthermore, the government should provide adequate information to all victims through its information desks,
and provide counselling to the children who have been traumatised by the earthquake.
Rural roads must be cleared of debris and smooth transportation should be ensured. Public health and medical volunteers should be deployed with enough medical supplies in rural hinterlands.
This is high time for all politicians to convert tragedy into strength, and to stop their infighting. The reconstructed infrastructure should be able to withstand earthquakes, as advised by structural engineers.


Bhudbal Gurung   
Works at: Henkel Polybit Trading
Duration of stay in Qatar: 12 years
Position: Marketing Officer
 
This is the time to focus on relief and rehabilitation. People are living in tents and even under the open sky. People are still panicking due to aftershocks. Relief materials and search and rescue teams provided by Nepal’s good neighbours are of great help to the earthquake victims.
Nepalis, both inside and outside the country, played key role in collecting and distributing relief materials for the rural victims.
While rebuilding, the government should avoid landslide-prone areas. The government should also provide temporary and safe shelters to the victims as soon as possible as monsoon is around the corner.
The upcoming monsoon will create obstacles in transporting relief materials to the victims as difficult terrain will affect the rural roads. Dispatching materials to the remote quarters must be the first priority of the government.
Second is the rebuilding process. The government has already set up a fund of Nepali Rs200 billion, and many foreign countries and aid agencies have promised to help. The government has to make an action plan to reconstruct cultural heritages and public properties.

Bishnu Lal Shrestha
Works at: Almarai Company
Duration of stay in Qatar: 7 years
Position: Sales Support Manager
 
We are happy that international community is assisting Nepal a great deal.
I strongly urge the government of Nepal to properly utilise foreign funds. First, the government should carefully review, assess and analyse the damages. Second, it must co-ordinate with other stakeholders for immediate relief. Third, it must plan and prepare a long-term plan to rebuild the country. Fourth, politicians and government officials must be accountable, and prevent corruption and embezzlement of the fund. Lastly, all Nepalis should come together and work hard for full recovery from this disaster.

Bishnu Lal Shrestha
Works at: Almarai Company
Duration of stay in Qatar: 7 years
Position: Sales Support Manager
 
We are happy that international community is assisting Nepal a great deal.
I strongly urge the government of Nepal to properly utilise foreign funds. First, the government should carefully review, assess and analyse the damages. Second, it must co-ordinate with other stakeholders for immediate relief. Third, it must plan and prepare a long-term plan to rebuild the country. Fourth, politicians and government officials must be accountable, and prevent corruption and embezzlement of the fund. Lastly, all Nepalis should come together and work hard for full recovery from this disaster.

Sanjeeb Ranabhat
Works at: United Precast Concrete Co.
Duration of stay in Qatar: 12 Years
Position: Administration Manager
 
About 90% of Nepal Army and police personnel are involved in rescue operations. Rain and aftershocks along with impassable roads and damaged communication infrastructure have posed substantial challenges to the rescue efforts.
The relief effort was also hampered as the Nepalese government insisted on routing aid only through the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund and its National Emergency Operation Centre. The government should be proactive and capable of making quick and proper decisions to focus on proper rescue materials, proper medium and the right locations.
The international aid agencies and foreign governments are trying their best to deliver much-needed financial assistance and supplies to Nepal. The government should identify rescue materials that they need immediately.
The government should form a Rapid Response Facility, so that funds can be fast-tracked for desperately needed supplies such as clean water, shelter, basic household items and blankets.
The government should also identify aid agencies that can help distribute relief funds and provide materials to the victims efficiently. The government should act responsibly and mobilise resources not only at the centre but also at the peripheries.
The government also needs to reach the most vulnerable people, who are already poor or who live far away from the centre. Access remains a key obstacle, particularly outside the Kathmandu Valley, due to impassable roads and damaged communication infrastructure. Some villages can only be reached by helicopter. Debris management will be required for humanitarian supplies to reach remote areas where there is a desperate need for tents, tarpaulins and blankets.
The government’s biggest challenge won’t be collecting financial assistance but to use it wisely— it is very likely that some of the financial assistance will
be lost through fraud and embezzlement. The government should also focus on long-term projects, especially on infrastructure that can handle such disasters in future.

Harendra Thagunna
Works at: Construction Company
Duration of stay in Qatar: 2 years
Position: Chartered Accountant
 
The loss is immense, but with the joint efforts of the government of Nepal, Nepalis, and international donors, we can definitely bounce back.
With proper channelisation of resources, feasible planning, dedicated administration and clear vision, we can recover from this disaster.
A rehabilitation programme needs to be introduced for the people who have lost their homes. Residential colonies should be built in a planned manner in safe locations and leased to victims with minimum rents, suitable moratorium period and long repayment options.
Right now, relief units need to be set up in all affected areas to provide enough food and shelters.
A special programme should be introduced to take care of orphaned children, dependents and handicapped people.
Healthcare facilities should be provided to all the needy either free of charge or at nominal rates. Remote areas need to be targeted.
The destroyed world heritage sites, temples, squares, old monuments and other structures should be restored. Nepal is a tourist destination, and these must be prioritised.
A separate body should be established to look after rehabilitation and reconstruction activities, prioritise work and report to the appropriate authority.
Collected aid must be utilised to develop infrastructure, hydropower, transportation, health, education and to develop the agriculture and industrial industries in the country.
Above all, Nepalis should work united and be more vigilant about ensuring that resources are utilised where they need to be. People need to keep the government on the tip of their toes. The blame game mentality in Nepali politics needs to end.

Sanjeeb Ranabhat
Works at: United Precast Concrete Co.
Duration of stay in Qatar: 12 Years
Position: Administration Manager
 
About 90% of Nepal Army and police personnel are involved in rescue operations. Rain and aftershocks along with impassable roads and damaged communication infrastructure have posed substantial challenges to the rescue efforts.
The relief effort was also hampered as the Nepalese government insisted on routing aid only through the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund and its National Emergency Operation Centre. The government should be proactive and capable of making quick and proper decisions to focus on proper rescue materials, proper medium and the right locations.
The international aid agencies and foreign governments are trying their best to deliver much-needed financial assistance and supplies to Nepal. The government should identify rescue materials that they need immediately.
The government should form a Rapid Response Facility, so that funds can be fast-tracked for desperately needed supplies such as clean water, shelter, basic household items and blankets.
The government should also identify aid agencies that can help distribute relief funds and provide materials to the victims efficiently. The government should act responsibly and mobilise resources not only at the centre but also at the peripheries.
The government also needs to reach the most vulnerable people, who are already poor or who live far away from the centre. Access remains a key obstacle, particularly outside the Kathmandu Valley, due to impassable roads and damaged communication infrastructure. Some villages can only be reached by helicopter. Debris management will be required for humanitarian supplies to reach remote areas where there is a desperate need for tents, tarpaulins and blankets.
The government’s biggest challenge won’t be collecting financial assistance but to use it wisely— it is very likely that some of the financial assistance will
be lost through fraud and embezzlement. The government should also focus on long-term projects, especially on infrastructure that can handle such disasters in future.

Nabin Paudyal
Works at: Commercial Bank of Qatar
Duration of stay in Qatar: 9 years
Position working: Admin Assistant for CEO
 
The situation is really bad in Nepal. We have to thank our neighbours, national and international agencies and volunteers who are supporting Nepal during this time of massive disaster.
I am particularly worried about those families who have lost their bread-earning members. The government should efficiently make use of the donation provided from all over the world, and support health and education of the affected families. It should also renovate Unesco-listed cultural heritages that were crumbled by the earthquake as tourism is one of the economic backbones of the country.