Rukum West | 16 January 2026

The old, cracked building still clings to the steep slope. Its walls split wide from the earthquake, its roof twisted and sinking, and its wooden frames worn by years of rain and wind. Once a family home, it now stands as a broken reminder of the day the ground shook in November 2023. This damaged structure belonged to Mr. Sashiram Damai, a local tailor. After the earthquake destroyed his home, he summoned his resources to rebuild his house in the market area, where his new house now supports his economic activity much better. The land where his damaged home remains, he eventually sold it to the municipality, where the municipality now plans to construct the new ward – 12 office.

Damaged Ward office building

Earthwork Excavation

Before the earthquake, the ward office operated from a rented room, but the disaster left it without a stable or formal space. During monsoon seasons, rain leaking through the temporary roofs often disrupted basic services, forcing staff to halt work and residents to wait for days. Eventually, the ward office shifted into a shared space inside the municipal executive office building, working side-by-side with the Agriculture Section. As one resident put it, “We lost our homes, but losing the ward office meant losing access to government services.” Without a functional office nearby, people were walking long distances across difficult terrain for vital registrations, livelihood coordination, public hearings, and other essential services. Especially women, people with disabilities, and vulnerable families, faced additoinal challenge to access essential services.

Community Consulation

Under the Jajarkot Earthquake Recovery Project, jointly implemented by UNDP and UN-Habitat, and funded by the Governemnt of Japan, resources have been allocated for the new prefabricated ward office, and the municipality has committed to mobilizing additional support if needed. Community consultations are ongoing, and pre-clearance work, including building a protective toe wall by the municipality, has already begun following the technical assessment. Throughout the process, safeguards such GEDSI, child labor prevention, and strict occupational safety standards are being integrated to ensure safe and equitable reconstruction for the entire community.

Proposed Design Building

The finalization of the design and the initiation of construction process of prefabricated ward office building of Aathbiskot-12 marks a significant milestone, symbolizing the community’s first tangible step toward restoring governance, rebuilding trust, and strengthening resilience in one of Rukum West’s hardest-hit wards. The cosntruction work has started on last week of december.

The 2023 Jajarkot Earthquake affected about 3,289 people (927 families) in Aathbiskot-12, Thuli Balkhu and had damaged the ward office.