Nepal appeals for $2b to rebuild quake-hit country

Nepal's prime minister has appealed for $2 billion to rebuild his country, shattered by two massive earthquakes in three weeks that have killed thousands and devastated the impoverished nation's infrastructure.

Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, whose year-old government has faced criticism over the speed of its response to the quakes, said Sunday that the administration has set up a national rehabilitation and reconstruction fund, and urged donors to help.

Earlier this month the UN said it had received just $22 million of the $415 million it had appealed for following the disasters.

On April 25 a 7.8-magnitude quake, the deadliest to hit the country in more than 80 years, killed more than 8,500 people and destroyed half a million homes, making it the most deadly natural disaster of the Himalayan country.

That was followed weeks later by a second massive tremor that triggered landslides and brought down houses, triggering fresh misery for people still traumatised by the earlier quake.

The disasters have also left their mark on the impoverished Himalayan nation's infrastructure and development.

Meanwhile Nepal yesterday imposed a temporary ban on all constructions of houses and buildings, including those which are already under construction or whose maps have been approved for construction before the recent earthquake.

The ban would remain in effect until the end of Nepali month of Asad, July 16, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Local Development. Those structures that were built by violating the existing building codes and those weakened by the recent earthquake and its aftershocks should be immediately demolished, the Ministry instructed.