Aid and Recovery in Post-Earthquake Nepal - Independent Impacts and Recovery Monitoring Phase 5: November 2019

This report provides findings from a large-scale survey conducted in 11 earthquake-affected districts in September and October 2019, four and a half years after two devastating earthquakes hit Nepal in April and May 2015, killing almost 9,000 people and damaging close to one million houses.

The report was produced as part of the Independent Impacts and Recovery Monitoring Project (IRM), which began five weeks after the first earthquake in May 2015 and has conducted five research rounds to date. IRM is a longitudinal study that uses both quantitative surveying and in-depth qualitative fieldwork. It is based on revisiting the same affected areas and people at regular intervals to assess current conditions and to gauge how they are changing. This report provides data and analysis from the fifth round of surveying (referred to as IRM-5), conducted in September and October 2019.

Much has changed in the nearly five years since the earthquakes. In 2015, emergency relief was widely provided, aiming to meet immediate and urgent needs, such as helping people find temporary shelter, addressing food shortages, and ensuring disease did not spread. Later, the volume and form of aid changed, with housing grants disbursed and livelihoods support provided. By late 2019, study findings confirmed much progress in the reconstruction of private houses, public infrastructure, and health facilities, although not everyone had rebuilt by that point. The survey further captured perceptions on several issues, including national outlook and disaster preparedness. Such information can help policy makers, development practitioners, and others better understand the context in which recovery is taking place.