Rebuilding in Nepal’s Langtang valley – in pictures

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    The Guardian
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    The earthquake that hit Nepal last year devastated Langtang valley, laying waste to an economy reliant on tourism. Reconstruction work in the Himalayan region involves hauling materials up mountain tracks, but communities are slowly rebuilding their livelihoods.rebuilding-in-nepals-langtang-valley2

    Like many others in the Langtang valley, Nyima Gyalmu Tamang from Bhanjyangaon has been living in temporary structures made of tarpaulin, corrugated iron and plastic sheets. She has no income and – as a widow who owns no land – she is ineligible for government support
    Like many others in the Langtang valley, Nyima Gyalmu Tamang from Bhanjyangaon has been living in temporary structures made of tarpaulin, corrugated iron and plastic sheets. She has no income and – as a widow who owns no land – she is ineligible for government support
    Cheoten Lama stands in the shadow of the Himalayas on the outskirts of Kyanjin Gompa, a village hit by avalanches, where she has a full-time job feeding the workers engaged in rebuilding it. Construction work is ongoing to get the Langtang valley ready for tourists once more, and limited services for trekkers are already running. The region is desperate for tourists to return, as it will help finance the rebuilding process
    Cheoten Lama stands in the shadow of the Himalayas on the outskirts of Kyanjin Gompa, a village hit by avalanches, where she has a full-time job feeding the workers engaged in rebuilding it. Construction work is ongoing to get the Langtang valley ready for tourists once more, and limited services for trekkers are already running. The region is desperate for tourists to return, as it will help finance the rebuilding process
    Ghodatabela, once a thriving village and a popular stopover on the trek up the Langtang valley, is still strewn with wreckage from the earthquake
    Ghodatabela, once a thriving village and a popular stopover on the trek up the Langtang valley, is still strewn with wreckage from the earthquake
    Karchung Tamang’s house was once a lodge and restaurant but has gone unrepaired. Delays in reconstruction have been blamed for more than a dozen deaths during the winter, with elderly people bearing the brunt. Karchung now has no job or income and relies on the charity of other local people
    Karchung Tamang’s house was once a lodge and restaurant but has gone unrepaired. Delays in reconstruction have been blamed for more than a dozen deaths during the winter, with elderly people bearing the brunt. Karchung now has no job or income and relies on the charity of other local people
    Temporary shelters in front of the caves south of Kyanjin Gompa have provided refuge
    Temporary shelters in front of the caves south of Kyanjin Gompa have provided refuge
    With few other forms of transport available – the cost of helicopters is prohibitive – teams involved in rebuilding the mountain villages have to walk for three days up the valley, hauling heavy loads of wood
    With few other forms of transport available – the cost of helicopters is prohibitive – teams involved in rebuilding the mountain villages have to walk for three days up the valley, hauling heavy loads of wood
    The ruins of a lodge in the hilltop village of Thulo Shyaphru, where trekkers used to stop on their way to the mountain lakes of Gosaikunda
    The ruins of a lodge in the hilltop village of Thulo Shyaphru, where trekkers used to stop on their way to the mountain lakes of Gosaikunda
    A volunteer carries a wooden beam across scree formed by one of the huge landslides near Kyanjin Gompa
    A volunteer carries a wooden beam across scree formed by one of the huge landslides near Kyanjin Gompa
    Lobsang, a carpenter who has travelled from Okhaldhunga, planes a wooden beam. He is one of many volunteers from other regions who have come to Langtang to help in reconstruction
    Lobsang, a carpenter who has travelled from Okhaldhunga, planes a wooden beam. He is one of many volunteers from other regions who have come to Langtang to help in reconstruction
    Tashi is part of a team building a new guesthouse to help encourage tourists back to the region
    Tashi is part of a team building a new guesthouse to help encourage tourists back to the region
    Surrounded by shingle, Chhiring begins the task of rebuilding her house in Thulo Shyaphru
    Surrounded by shingle, Chhiring begins the task of rebuilding her house in Thulo Shyaphru
    Mundu primary school was severely damaged, the roof blown off by an immense air pressure wave created by landslides. Repairs have allowed it to be used as a temporary store for the community while houses are rebuilt
    Mundu primary school was severely damaged, the roof blown off by an immense air pressure wave created by landslides. Repairs have allowed it to be used as a temporary store for the community while houses are rebuilt
    Langtang resident Maya plans to go to Europe and work to send money back to her family, like many other Nepalese. Such remittances make up 30% of the country’s GDP
    Langtang resident Maya plans to go to Europe and work to send money back to her family, like many other Nepalese. Such remittances make up 30% of the country’s GDP
    Local people hope the painstaking work of rebuilding will slowly encourage tourists back to the valley, here viewed from Kyanjin Gompa. Across Nepal, the quake destroyed an estimated 660,000 houses. Almost 18 months later, many people are still living in makeshift shelters
    Local people hope the painstaking work of rebuilding will slowly encourage tourists back to the valley, here viewed from Kyanjin Gompa. Across Nepal, the quake destroyed an estimated 660,000 houses. Almost 18 months later, many people are still living in makeshift shelters

    Photographs: Benedict Grey

     

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