A joint Technical Assessment Team visited Nepal from July 27th – August 1st to assess the structural damages in Kathmandu, Lalitpur and other surrounding municipalities, following a devastating earthquake on April 25th that left 8,000 people dead, almost 19,000 injured and many villages flattened.
The mission, which is the first of the two-phase CityNet Recovery and Rehabilitation Programme for Nepal, was aimed at identifying key needs and developing projects to support Nepal’s rebuilt after the quake. The team was composed of technical experts from the Seoul Metropolitan Government and City of Yokohama.
The representatives from Seoul Metropolitan Government were Dr Myung-Rae from the Faculty of Urban and Regional Studies, Dangkok University; and Dr Chan Ho Kim from the Urban Design and Studies, Chung-Ang University. Whereas the representatives from City of Yokohama included Mr Teruyuki Okuma from the Housing Land Development Examination Department, Housing and Architecture Bureau; Mr Takeo Ota from the Architcture Inspection Department, Housing and Architecture Bureau; Mr Ruriko Kawaguchi from the Development Cooperation Department, International Affairs Bureau; and two observers from Yokohama City University namely Dr Mariko Fujioka from the Global Cooperation Institute for Sustainable Cities and Dr Eiko Ishikawa from the International College of Arts and Sciences.
They discussed potential project activities which may include structural improvements or constructions and capacity building with a number of local engineers. They were hosted by the Municipal Association of Nepal (MuAN) – CityNet Nepal National Chapter – who coordinated the meetings and the site visits with the local municipalities.
The team was dispatched upon request for support from MuAN in May. For the second phase, they will use the assessment report as the result of the trip to create a short (1-year) to mid-term (3-year) projects to apply for funds, in which the Technical Assessment Team would become the advisory panel for the project.
