National
Quake-affected families get timber from DFO
The District Forest Office (DFO) in Tanahun has distributed 6,137 cubic feet of timber to quake-affected families whose houses were destroyed in the devastating earthquake of April 25, 2015.Prakash Baral
The District Forest Office (DFO) in Tanahun has distributed 6,137 cubic feet of timber to quake-affected families whose houses were destroyed in the devastating earthquake of April 25, 2015.
A total of 282 quake-hit families with red ID cards, who filed an application at the DFO, have been provided timber through the Community Forest Consumer’s Group, according to District Forest Officer Ambika Prasad Paudel. The timber were distributed on the basis of the recommendation of the District Reconstruction Committee, according to him. “In the first phase, we provided timber to the families whose homes were damaged in the disaster,” Poudel said. Around 16,000 houses were destroyed in the district in the disaster.
The DFO is also planning to distribute timber to those families whose houses were partially damaged in the earthquakes. Muna BK of Kyamin-2, however, said the wood provided by the DFO was insufficient to build a house. “We have hoped that the DFO will also provide timber in the next phase,” said BK.
The DFO has distributed 400,000 saplings to all of the community forests after cutting down trees in the last fiscal year. In the wake of last year’s disaster, the government had announced a provision to distribute timber from the community forests to the quake-hit households.
“Out of total timber put on sale through auction each year, the community forests should distribute 25 percent of timber to the quake-affected families,” said Paudel.