Saturday, June 6, 2015

MULTIPLE FLAWS SEEN IN DATA OF QUAKE VICTIMS

Multiple flaws seen in data of quake victims
By RUDRA PANGENI 
@rudrapangeni
KATHMANDU, June 5: The government has announced to distribute cash assistance to families, who lost their homes in the earthquake, based on identification cards issued to earthquake victims. It has already collected data from such households. But officials say the process to distribute cash assistance could be affected due to flaws on data of earthquake victims.

Enumerators deployed by government have already created the database of people who lost their homes in the earthquake. But officials say they have not visited affected area after the powerful aftershock of May 12. One enumerator, who was deployed in Dhading, told Republica that he completed data collection before May 12. I haven't visited affected areas after the aftershock of May 12, he said, preferring anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to media.

The government had mobilized a team under the leadership of section officer in each 499 badly-affected village development committees (VDCs). The teams also included at least one engineer.
"Data of earthquake victims is very important as the government is distributing identification cards to earthquake victims based on the data"" Govinda Nepal, member of National Planning Commission (NPC), said.

Cases of over-reporting of damages are also increasing, according to officials. Quake-hit people have been found influencing enumerators to over-report their damages expecting more assistance from the government.

The government has announced to distribute Rs 200,000 to the people who lost their houses in the earthquake. The amount includes Rs 15,000 to be distributed to each affected family for building a temporary shelter.

Interestingly, officials of neither NPC nor Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) -- the central agency for collection, consolidation, processing, analysis, publication and dissemination of statistics -- have any idea about the content of forms that enumerators filled by visiting quake-hit areas.

Bikash Bista, director general of CBS, said they have only been asked to enter data from the forms collected by the enumerators in the central database. "We could have made more scientific forms and also carried out pretest to make data more valid"" Bista said, adding that the forms seem to have been filled up by non-professionals. "We, however, have tried to make the data more reliable as far as possible though cross verification."

NPC is also working on Post Disaster Need Assessment (PDNA), which is also based on the same data, to present to donor agencies for soliciting their assistance for reconstruction and rehabilitation. A highly placed official of NPC said the data collection process was started in haste and that NPC does not know who prepared the questionnaires used in the forms. ""There was no coordination among line agencies"" the official added, requesting anonymity.

According to officials, local leaders of different political parties tried to influence enumerators to over-report damages, expecting more assistance from the government.

After monitoring relief distribution in affected districts, lawmakers held discussion on Special Committee for Disaster Management, Monitoring and Direction of legislature-parliament last week on ways to control duplication of data of affected households. Speaking at the meeting, Iswari Neupane, a lawmaker of NC, had suggested to the government to introduce a provision that would disqualify a person from receiving assistance if s/he was found over-reporting damages. Stating that Rs 15,000 was insufficient to build temporary shelter, he had drawn the attention of the committee to direct the government to release Rs 50,000 in the first installment.

Many statisticians and experts fear misuse and manipulation of data. Bista said such distribution can be effective only if the government has reliable and evidence-based data with accuracy.

Uttam Narayan Malla, former director general of CBS, said the data of quake-hit families would be very important for relief and rehabilitation works. "There are reports of people putting pressure on enumerators to list their houses with 'minor damages' as 'badly damaged'," said Malla, adding that the data should be cross-verified. "The severity of damage should be categorized with clearer definition."

Many also worry the assessment of economic loss because of earthquake will also be bloated in the absence of authentic data from the affected districts. They stressed the need to collect reliable data for reconstruction and rebuilding of public infrastructures as over-reporting and duplication of data also might fuel corruption.
- See more at: http://myrepublica.com/society/item/22132-multiple-flaws-seen-in-data-of-quake-victims.html#sthash.aJoF2qQB.dpuf

4 comments:

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Unknown said...

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