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Nepal: Loss of Lives and Properties from Disaster 2068-2071

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Source: Government of Nepal
Country: Nepal


Nepal: Disaster Data 2068 to 2071 (2011 to 2014)

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Source: Government of Nepal
Country: Nepal

Bangladesh: Price Monitoring and Analysis Country Brief, September 2011-February 2012

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Source: European Union, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Country: Bangladesh

Key messages

  • Prices of rice and wheat remained stable however, experienced some fluctuation in November and December.

  • The overall food security situation is favorable however, due to low cereal production, it remains a concern in certain districts in Mid-Western Mountain and Mid-Western Hill.

  • Natural calamities have affected people's food security in recent months; moreover the political situation remains tense.

  • The Government has in place several safety net schemes to support vulnerable groups; the international community is also helping to assist people affected by natural disasters.

Nepal: Price Monitoring and Analysis Country Brief, September 2011-February 2012

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Source: European Union, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Country: Nepal

Key messages

  • Prices of rice and wheat remained stable however, experienced some fluctuation in November and December.

  • The overall food security situation is favorable however, due to low cereal production, it remains a concern in certain districts in Mid-Western Mountain and Mid-Western Hill.

  • Natural calamities have affected people's food security in recent months; moreover the political situation remains tense.

  • The Government has in place several safety net schemes to support vulnerable groups; the international community is also helping to assist people affected by natural disasters.

Nepal: Nepal Extreme Cold - DREF operation n° MDRNP006 - Update n°2

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Source: International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies
Country: Nepal

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) is a source of un-earmarked money created by the Federation in 1985 to ensure that immediate financial support is available for Red Cross and Red Crescent emergency response. DREF is a vital part of the International Federation’s disaster response system and increases the ability of National Societies to respond to disasters.

A total of CHF 69,134 was allocated from IFRC DREF to support the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) to conduct rapid assessment and deliver immediate assistance to 5,000 families across nine districts (Ilam, Taplejung, Sankhuwasava, Panchthar, Dhankuta, Khotang, Terhathum, Bhojpur and Solukhumbu) who were made vulnerable by the extreme cold following the onset of winter after their homes had been severely damaged or destroyed by the earthquake in the eastern Nepal in September 2011.

This includes the distribution of 10,000 blankets, support for volunteer mobilization and transport costs to enable relief teams and goods to reach people affected in very remote areas. The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) country office in Nepal has made an in-kind contribution of 2,000 blankets meanwhile the remaining procurement of 8,000 blankets will be covered under this DREF.

The major donors and partners of this DREF are the Australian government, the American government, the Belgian government, the Austrian Red Cross, the Canadian Red Cross and government, Danish Red Cross and government, the European commission humanitarian aid (ECHO), the Irish government, the Italian government, the Japanese Red Cross Society, the Luxembourg government, the Monaco Red Cross and government, the Netherlands Red Cross and government, the Norwegian Red Cross and government, the Spanish government, the Swedish Red Cross and government, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the Medtronic and Z Zurich Foundations, and other corporate and private donors.

This DREF-supported operation was expected to be completed by 13 April 2012. However, the procurement process of blankets is taking longer than expected. NRCS has requested for a two-month extension and the operation is expected to be completed by 13 June 2012. A final report will be issued three months after the end of operation (by 13 September 2012).

IFRC, on behalf of NRCS, would like to extend gratitude to all donors and partners for their generous contributions. Details of the contributions to this DREF can be found on www.ifrc.org/dref.

Nepal: Nepal (MAANP001) - Annual Report 2011

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Source: International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies
Country: Nepal

This report covers the period 1 January 2011 to 31 December 2011

In brief

Programme outcome The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is committed to support Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) in achieving the four strategic aims defined under its sixth development plan (2011-2015) through funding, technical support, advocacy, representation and coordination. The strategic aims under the sixth development plan are in line with Strategy 2020 to:

• Save lives, protect livelihoods and strengthen recovery from disaster and crisis.

• Promote safer, resilient and healthy communities.

• Promote social inclusion and a culture of non-violence and peace.

• Strengthen organizational governance and management capacity at all levels for better performance to reduce vulnerability.

Programme(s) summary

2011 brought both challenges and opportunities for the humanitarian activities of Nepal Red Cross Society. On the one hand, the country continued to experience the uncertainty of the constitutional reform process and the declining economic conditions and increasing food prices, compounded by shortages of gas, electricity and fuel. A major earthquake affecting the eastern-most part of the country and unusually cold weather also required a scale up of emergency response activities, over and above the annual cycles of floods and landslides.

Nevertheless, following the annual conference of the national assembly of NRCS and the election of new central executive committee for a term of four years, NRCS has been pushing ahead to achieve the strategic aims of its Sixth Development Plan 2011-2015, including efforts re-engineer governance and management structures. Similarly, significant progress has been made in taking forward the programmes supported by the IFRC, despite the limited and delayed funding for implementation.

India: MAAIN001 - Annual Report 2011

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Source: International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies
Country: India

This report covers the period 1 January to 31 December 2011

Programme outcome

The 2011 disaster management (DM) programme focused on four strategic DM objectives of the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS). These include disaster risk reduction (DRR) for “building safer communities”, national disaster preparedness and response mechanisms, disaster preparedness and response capacity building, and branches interagency coordination.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) Strategy 2020 aims to: (1) Save lives, protect livelihoods and strengthen recovery from disasters and crisis; (2) Align itself and provide momentum to these four DM strategic objectives of IRCS.

The expected impacts include effective preparedness and timely response to disasters and crisis, a reduction in number of deaths, losses, damages and other detrimental consequences, and improved restoration of community functioning. In 2011, a new result was added under the organizational preparedness component of the DM programme to support IRCS response to the monsoon disasters in the states of Sikkim and Odisha (formerly known as Orissa).

The overall objective of the health and care programme is aligned with Strategy 2020. It emphasizes enabling healthy and safe living, improving the capacity of IRCS in planning, raising awareness on preventive health as well as response to public health emergencies, including HIV and AIDS, through prevention, care and support by strengthening the National Society’s volunteer network. Trained staff at IRCS national headquarters, as well as state and district branches, significantly contributed to improved project planning, regular monitoring and timely submission of reports. In 2011, the tuberculosis (TB) control project and malaria prevention and control programme have effectively enhanced IRCS’s role as auxiliary to the government, through close collaboration of the society’s health units with government health programmes.

The purpose of the organizational development programme is to improve capacity of IRCS in order to provide effective services to reduce suffering of the vulnerable by integrating it with DM, health and other programmes of the National Society in addition to working closely with the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) and partner national societies. This objective is in line with Strategic Aim 3 of Strategy 2020: promotion of social inclusion and a culture of non-violence and peace by enabling action for which emphasizes on pursuing humanitarian diplomacy to prevent and reduce vulnerability in a globalized world. IRCS is currently in the process of strengthening its organizational structure and systems, and has further increased efforts during 2011. Primary focus was given on strengthening IT infrastructure with emphasis on overcoming the digital divide. Finance system development and branch development at national and branch level respectively were integrated as a continuum of existing programmes. Youth development, capacity building in fundraising and branch development through the integrated programme approach were the new initiatives for 2011.

China: MAACN001 - Annual report 2011

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Source: International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies
Country: China

This report covers the period 1 January to 31 December 2011

In brief

Disaster response – Various natural disasters in 2011 had left 1,126 people dead or missing in China, 430 million people affected and created over 310 billion yuan (approx. 49 billion dollars) in direct economic losses. With the support of International Federation of Red Cross Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) regional delegation, the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) responded swiftly to the serious disasters with relief items and other assistance needed.

Disaster management – The IFRC’s regional disaster management team, with contributions of experts from the zone office, have been able to support the RCSC in developing capacities in both planning and organizational preparedness. There have been great strides in the past months on further consolidating and supporting the RCSC’s emergency relief team development and agreements on establishing national disaster response teams at the headquarters’ level.
Further work has been done on the grassroots level of community disaster risk reduction in Shaanxi and Gansu.

Health and care – The IFRC continues to work very closely with RCSC headquarters to support their initiatives and activities in the areas of health and care. The RCSC has stepped up their advocacy on issues of HIV, and have had a very successful pilot project on tuberculosis in Shanxi province, supported by Lilly China. The community-based health and first aid initiatives of the RCSC are also expanding and fulfilling a needed role for better integration, capacity building, service delivery and a platform for health interventions at community levels.
Organizational development – Excellent lessons learned from the continuing Intensified Capacity Building (ICB) project, supported by IFRC’s organizational development department in Geneva, have been widely shared with anticipation of capturing the model in its final project year. Branch and leadership development has been stepped up. The IFRC is partnering with ICRC and RCSC headquarters to design a leadership training specific to the China context. In addition, support for finance and programme management has continued.

Sichuan earthquake recovery programmes – The earthquake appeal has been officially closed by the end of 2011. The long-term recovery efforts of the RCSC will be included in the China annual plan and will continue to be implemented in line with the original plans.


Japan: MAA54001 - Annual report East Asia 2011

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Source: International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies
Country: China, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Japan, Mongolia, Republic of Korea

This report covers the period 1 January to 31 December 2011

In brief

The IFRC’s East Asia regional office serves to support and build capacities within the national societies of the East Asia region. The region includes China, Mongolia, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), the Republic of Korea (ROK), and Japan. The IFRC has annual programmes that support the national societies in China, Mongolia, and the DPRK.

Japan – Earthquake and Tsunami – The IFRC has been supporting the Japanese Red Cross Society (JRCS) since the earthquake and tsunami struck Japan on 11 March. While the recovery is gradually picking up speed, survivors are still in much need of psychosocial and long-term recovery support. In the past months, the IFRC has continued to provide human resource support in communications, reporting, logistics, finance and other areas through frequent visits from the East Asia regional delegation and Asia Pacific zone office as well as from the Secretariat in Geneva.

China – In 2011, China was hit by various disasters including several floods and earthquakes. With the support of IFRC regional delegation, the Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) responded swiftly to the serious disasters with relief items and other assistance.
In the past months, the IFRC has been supporting the RCSC in strengthening their capacities for disaster response, especially in the establishment and training of emergency response teams. Community-based programmes are also expanding both in disaster risk reduction, community-based health and first aid, and integrated approaches to addressing needs.

DPRK – Consecutive floods caused by heavy rainfall and strong winds, together with the impact of typhoon Muifa which struck in early August, resulted in the destruction or severe damage of over 9,500 houses, rendering more than 25,000 people homeless between 23 June and 9 August, according to data provided by the DPRK government.
As an immediate response, the DPRK Red Cross Society (DPRK RCS) in cooperation with IFRC, distributed emergency relief kits, including family hygiene kits and water purification tablets to 6,876 flood-affected families who lost their homes and belongings. The IFRC launched an Emergency Appeal (CHF 3.49 million), focusing on providing support to the most vulnerable groups among the flood-affected population.

Mongolia – No major disasters happened in the country in the year. The IFRC continues to support Mongolian Red Cross Society (MRCS) on annual programmes. Training for a national disaster response team was held and strategic planning of the disaster management team for both emergency and communitybased work was supported by the IFRC disaster management teams in Beijing and Kuala Lumpur.

Korea – The IFRC sent a high-level delegation to the international Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) conference in Busan on high-level aid effectiveness. The Under Secretary General, Mukesh Kapila gave a key speech at the plenary – emphasizing the position of the IFRC also as a development organization. The regional head of delegation along with others from the zone and Geneva met with the new president of the ROK Red Cross and government officials.

World: Disaster Relief Emergency Fund MAA00010 Annual Report 2011

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Source: International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies
Country: Libya, Namibia, Nepal, Niger, Uganda, World

This report covers the period January to December 2011

In brief

Programme outcome
To increase the capacity of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Society (IFRC) to reduce the number of deaths, injuries and the impact of disasters through the timely and adequate financial support for disaster response from the DREF.

Programme summary
A total of CHF 19,067,666 was allocated by the DREF in 2011. This amount was 98 per cent of the revised forecast and 18 per cent less than that allocated in 2010, but 9 per cent higher than 2009 allocations. The number of allocations requested dropped from 138 in 2010 to 113 in 2011.
The total amount allocated as start-up funds to emergency appeals was CHF 5,793,096 which is 13 per cent higher than in 2010. Twenty-one appeals received start-up funding of the 25 launched by the International Federation in 2011. Four DREF operations for Sahel countries which started in 2011 became emergency appeals in the first quarter of 2012. Grants to DREF-funded operations amounted to CHF 13,274,570 which is 31 per cent lower than in 2010.

India: India: Sikkim Earthquake - DREF operation n° MDRIN008 - Final Report

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Source: International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies
Country: India

Summary: CHF 97,137 was allocated from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies‟ (IFRC) Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) on 21 September 2011 to support the National Society in delivering assistance to some 5,000 beneficiaries. This DREF operation received an extension and concluded on 29 February 2011. The Canadian Red Cross replenished the DREF for this operation.

In response to the earthquake, the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) was able to reach 1,000 families with relief supplies, shelter tool kits and water purification units to address their basic needs for a period of two and half months. IRCS trained local volunteers and built their capacity to operate the water treatments units in Chunthang. This relief operation provided a great opportunity to the disaster response team members to demonstrate their skills during an emergency and also to gain more experience of a disaster response operation.

To document the learning from the operation a lessons learnt workshop with the national headquarters, Sikkim state branch staff and volunteers involved in the operation was held in February 2012. A short documentary was prepared for sharing operation achievement and challenges among other volunteers and also for future trainings. Furthermore, this would help IRCS in the long run to analyse the best practises and the gaps to improve Red Cross national disaster response mechanisms.

Despite the damage caused by the earthquake to infrastructure, transportation and communication and the challenges posed by landslides and heavy rains, IRCS was one of the first to reach the affected areas and to provide the affected people with relief supplies, family news service, and shelter kits and purified safe drinking water.

Prior to operation, a close coordination mechanism was maintained with the government authorities and NGO network to avoid duplication and to efficiently use the available resources.
FedEx as the corporate partner provided free services in transporting 1,000 shelter tool kits from IFRC DREF Final Report India: Sikkim Earthquake IRCS distributed non-food items to the earthquake affected population in Sikkim. Photo: IRCS. warehouse in Kuala Lumpur to Gangtok and arranging special facilities for the movement of goods. This partnership has led to time and cost (CHF 30,000) saving for IFRC.

Of the total allocated DREF, CHF 72,338 was spent. The balance of CHF 24,799 has been returned to DREF pot.

The major donors and partners of DREF include the Australian, the American government, the Austrian Red Cross, the Belgian government, the Canadian Red Cross and government, Danish Red Cross and government, the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO), the Irish and Italian governments, the Japanese Red Cross Society, the Luxemburg government, the Monaco Red Cross and government, the Netherlands Red Cross and government, the Norwegian Red Cross and government, the Spanish government, the Swedish Red Cross and government, the United Kingdom department for international Development (DFID), the Medtronic and Z Zurich Foundations and other corporate and private donors.

IFRC on behalf of IRCS would like to extend thanks to all for their generous contributions. Details of the contributions to the DREF can be found www.ifrc.org/dref

Nepal: Nepal: Earthquake (MDRNP005) - DREF Operation Final Report

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Source: International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies
Country: Nepal

Summary

On 21 September 2011, CHF 172,417 was allocated from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies’ (IFRC) Disaster Relief Emergency Fund (DREF) to support Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) to conduct rapid assessments and deliver immediate assistance to some 1,500 families in five districts affected by the earthquake which occurred on 18 September.

A further allocation from DREF was approved for an additional CHF 263,762 to scale up the relief distributions to an additional 2,000 families in an additional seven districts and support the volunteer mobilization and transport costs to enable relief teams and goods to each people affected in very remote areas. The total budget has become CHF 436,179 for serving 3,500 families (21,000 beneficiaries).

The Belgian Red Cross and government, the Netherlands Red Cross and government, the Canadian government and the European Commission Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) have replenished the DREF for this allocation.

An earthquake having magnitude of 6.9 Richter scale (initially estimated as a magnitude 6.8) struck Nepal on the evening of 18 September 2011 affecting 18 districts throughout the country. The disaster claimed seven lives, left 89 people injured and over 8,000 families displaced.

Following the earthquake, NRCS district chapters immediately carried out rapid assessments and provided non food items (NFI) with the support of IFRC's DREF in 12 districts (Ilam, Taplejung, Sankhuwasava, Panchthar, Dhankuta, Khotang, Tehrathum, Sindhupalchowk, Ramechhap, Bhojpur, Dolakha and Solukhumbu) in the eastern and central part of the country. Besides, Bhaktapur district chapter provided relief items to the affected families from its own stock.

Altogether, 7,696 families were benefitted from relief operation (3,972 families with NFI package, 3,724 families with tarpaulin) in 12 districts. The efforts were closely coordinated with national and local authorities as well as other organizations working in the affected areas. The non-food items provided by NRCS helped the families to sustain their living conditions as well as protect themselves from cold weather to some extent. Most of the families used tarpaulin to make self-made temporary shelter where they have been still living in. Likewise, the cash provided by district disaster relief committee (DDRC- district level government authority) helped them to manage food whereas the utensil sets provided by NRCS were used to cook food. Blankets and clothing materials protected them from cold weather.

The UN Cluster System had actively followed the situation across the different sectors and several meetings were held at national and district level to discuss both the immediate relief and longer term recovery process. Nepal government, coordinated by the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works, has developed and endorsed recovery plan.

The operation was expected to be implemented over four months (until 21 January 2012). However, due to the delayed delivery of some non-food items for stock replenishment by suppliers and the need of undertaking additional monitoring visits in the field lead up to a final lessons learnt workshop, the operation was extended to end of March 2012. All the planned activities under this DREF operation were accomplished within the operation period.

Of the total allocated DREF, CHF 379,896 was spent. The balance of CHF 56,283 has been returned to DREF.

The major donors and partners of DREF include the Australian government, the American government, the Belgian government, the Austrian Red Cross, the Canadian Red Cross and government, Danish Red Cross and government, ECHO, the Irish and the Italian governments, the Japanese Red Cross Society, the Luxembourg government, the Monaco Red Cross and government, the Netherlands Red Cross and government, the Norwegian Red Cross and government, the Spanish Government, the Swedish Red Cross and government, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the Medtronic and Z Zurich Foundations, and other corporate and private donors.

IFRC, on behalf of NRCS, would like to thank all partners for their generous contribution to this DREF. Details of the contributions to the DREF can be found on www.ifrc.org/dref.

India: Assam Floods

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Source: SEEDS India
Country: India

By Rakesh Singh, Project Manager, SEEDS

On 25th June, 2012 the Brahmaputra breached its embankments leading to severe flooding in various parts of Assam. The floods inundated a number of villages in the state affecting large tracts of agricultural land and destroying a large number of houses, roads and bridges. Access to large parts of the state was cut off, Paddy crops were destroyed and a large number of livestock animals were killed. Thousands of rural residents were left without shelter, assets or a source of livelihood, forcing them to migrate or seek alternative means of sustaining themselves. Dhemaji district of Assam was the worst affected and particularly severe impacts were noticed in Junai, Sissiborgaon, Machkowa blocks of the district.

Although flooding is an annual feature in the state, this year they affected a larger area and inundated those areas which had remained relatively unaffected for the past 25 years. Thus the residents of these areas were caught unawares and unprepared for the destruction caused by the floods. However, coping with the floods was just the beginning of problems of the affected people as their problems continued to multiply even after the flood waters had receded. Flooding has led to issues of availability of safe drinking water, waste disposal facility, livelihoods. Construction material is also scarce, making it difficult for the affected people to reconstruct their shelters. Deposition of sand in the fields has made agriculture impossible and a large number of people have been affected by waterborne diseases. Although government and non-government agencies have distributed relief to alleviate the suffering, it has done little to allay the anxiety of the people who are faced with limited options of resuming a normal life.

A joint assessment of shelter, health, WASH, nutrition etc was carried out by Sphere and IAG and discussed with CEO, ASDMA. Appropriate interventions to address the issues are being planned.

Rebuilding Schools and Restoring Education

The picturesque state of Sikkim was shaken by a major earthquake on the evening of 18th September, 2011. It caused substantial destruction and loss in the state cutting it off from other parts of the country for a couple of days. Though a large number of buildings were badly affected in the state, a major impact on school buildings was noticed. The schools in rural areas were particularly affected badly due to improper construction techniques used. Fortunately nobody was affected in these buildings since the schools were not in session at the time.

However, the destruction of the school buildings left a large number of children without a place to study. SEEDS, committed to building a safer environment for children, has initiated retrofitting and reconstruction of school buildings in the state. One of the school buildings that has been selected is located in Sangkhola village of East District of the state. The school was selected not only because of the damage suffered by it but also because of the vulnerable location. When I first lay saw the school building I was shocked to see the location of the school. Although I carried the experience of retrofitting buildings in hill areas from a previous project, nothing had prepared me for the kind of situation that I saw in front of me.

Located at the base of a steep hill the school faces an ever present danger of landslides putting the lives of about 100 children at risk. Seeing the location of the school, I and my colleagues were glad that the initial assessment team had selected the school and we immediately got down to implementing plans to reduce the vulnerability of the school. In order to reduce the vulnerability the very stones which pose a threat to the school are being removed from the hill side. Compaction of soil on school premises has also been undertaken since the soil on the hillside is loose filled up soil. Necessary permissions are now awaited from the authorities to start construction work.

Nepal: Nepal Extreme Cold - DREF operation n° MDRNP006 - Final report

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Source: International Federation of Red Cross And Red Crescent Societies
Country: Nepal

Summary: A total of CHF 69,134 was allocated from IFRC DREF on 13 January 2012 to support the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) to conduct rapid assessment and deliver immediate assistance to 5,000 families across nine districts (Ilam, Taplejung, Sankhuwasava, Panchthar, Dhankuta, Khotang, Terhathum, Bhojpur and Solukhumbu) who were made vulnerable by the extreme cold following the onset of winter after their homes had been severely damaged/destroyed by the earthquake in the eastern Nepal in September 2011.

NRCS, through its district chapters in the area, identified some 5,000 families in urgent need of additional blankets to protect them from the cold. The national society distributed additional two blankets to each of these families based on their immediate needs. The International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) country office in Nepal made an in-kind contribution of 2,000 blankets and the remaining procurement of 8,000 blankets was covered under this DREF. The DREF was also used to cover the transportation costs and deployment of over 180 trained volunteers for the assessment and distribution.

The efforts were closely coordinated with national and local authorities as well as other organizations working in the affected areas. The UN Cluster System had actively followed the situation across the different sectors, including the Emergency Shelter and Non-Food Item Cluster convened by the IFRC and NRCS. Several meetings were held at national and district level to discuss both the immediate relief and longer term recovery process, in line with the recovery plan developed by the Government of Nepal, coordinated by the Ministry of Physical Planning and Works.

The operation was expected to be implemented over three months (until 13 April 2012). Although the blankets were delivered to the affected communities within the original timeframe, the operation was extended by two months (until 13 Jun 2012) to accommodate some unexpected delays in the procurement process. All the planned activities under this DREF operation were accomplished within the revised operation period.

Of the total allocated DREF, CHF 61,583 has been spent. The balance of CHF 636 will be returned to DREF, pending the return to IFRC of the unspent funds from NRCS. This final report is issued with an interim final financial report.

The major donors and partners of this DREF are the Australian government, the American government, the Belgian government, the Austrian Red Cross, the Canadian Red Cross and government, Danish Red Cross and government, the European commission humanitarian aid (ECHO), the Irish government, the Italian government, the Japanese Red Cross Society, the Luxembourg government, the Monaco Red Cross and government, the Netherlands Red Cross and government, the Norwegian Red Cross and government, the Spanish government, the Swedish Red Cross and government, the United Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID), the Medtronic and Z Zurich Foundations, and other corporate and private donors.

IFRC, on behalf of NRCS, would like to extend gratitude to all donors and partners for their generous contributions. Details of the contributions to this DREF can be found on www.ifrc.org/dref.

Nepal: Nepal Monthly Update - October 2012

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Source: UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Nepal
Country: Nepal

This report is issued by the UN RCHCO with inputs from its UN Field Coordination Offices and other partners and sources. The report covers October 2012. The next report will be issued the first week of December 2012.

CONTEXT

Political update In mid-October, another deadline set by Nepal’s political leadership came and went without agreement to resolve the political crisis over steps to move the constitution making process forward. Politics remained deadlocked. As party political discussions failed, the political space and influence of President Ram Baran Yadav grew. On 9 October, the ruling Unified Communist Party of Nepal–Maoist (UCPN-M) floated a proposal to reinstate the Constituent Assembly (CA) to promulgate a constitution, as a precursor to elections. President Yadav publicly rejected the idea and the UCPN-M and other political actors accused him of overstepping his ceremonial constitutional role.

On 19 October, UCPN-M Chairperson Dahal shared a written proposal with the President and top leaders of the Nepali Congress (NC) and the Communist Party of Nepal-Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML). It proposed that the parties should agree either on reinstating the CA or holding new elections for the CA. On 31 October, the NC responded with its own political roadmap, which ruled out a revival of the CA and proposed fresh elections in the spring of 2013. The roadmap also staked NC’s claim to lead the government holding the elections. Both options of reviving the CA and holding fresh elections present considerable legal and constitutional challenges and would require consensus among the parties on several fronts, such as electoral modalities, safeguarding past CA achievements and on power-sharing. As of the release of this Monthly Update, no consensus agreement has been reached between the parties on the way forward. In the very near term, this situation may complicate the ability of the parties to also forge consensus on extending the government’s current partial budget by the deadline of 15 November.


Nepal: Nepal unprepared for imminent earthquakes

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Source: Inter Press Service
Country: Nepal

By Naresh Newar

KATHMANDU, Nov 23 2012 (IPS) - Nepal now ranks 11th on a list of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, yet it remains one of the least disaster-prepared nations globally.

Two major earthquakes in the last two years, one on Sep. 18, 2011 and the other on Oct. 5 of this year, have failed to spur the government into action.

Seismologists have warned that another big earthquake is imminent and disaster experts claim that the population of 30 million will grow more vulnerable on a daily basis unless authorities “wake up” to the dangers posed by such catastrophes.

“In our current situation, the consequences of (a) disaster will be out of control and unmanageable. We have to move fast,” Ganesh Kumar Jimee, disaster preparedness manager of the National Society for Earthquake Technology-Nepal (NSET), told IPS.

Experts are particularly concerned about the 1.5 million residents of Kathmandu city, an earthquake epicenter in which most school buildings, hospitals and government offices are not earthquake resistant.

Over 90 percent of residential buildings, designed by ordinary masons with no input from professional engineers, are considered unsafe.

School buildings suffer from the same problem with an estimated 60 percent of the city’s public schools “bound to collapse”, according to the Asian Disaster Preparedness Centre (ADPC).

The World Health Organisation says that hospitals, too, are highly vulnerable.

According to NSET, over 60 percent of hospitals are at risk of damage in the event of an earthquake measuring anything more than 7.0 on the Richter scale. Most of the country’s 70 blood banks are not earthquake-proof.

In addition, dozens of bridges will also be impacted, thus cutting off crucial supply routes in case of an emergency.

Organisations like NSET and the Nepal Red Cross Society (NCRS) claim that 90 percent of the city’s water pipes will be damaged and 40 percent of electricity lines and electric substations will be destroyed.

Furthermore, Nepal’s many radio stations, which play a vital role in communicating disaster-related bulletins, are unlikely to withstand the impact of an earthquake.

According to IRIN news, these 350 radio stations, 36 of which are located in Kathmandu, are crucial sources of information for the country’s population, 44 percent of which is illiterate and relies on non-print media.

Disregarding all the available data on the urgency of the situation, the government has yet to take serious action on earthquake preparedness.

A lackadaisical attitude towards legislation on preparedness is a major obstacle. A Disaster Management Act has been pending for many years due to political instability in the country.

The Act would help establish a comprehensive Disaster Management Authority that will comprise a professional team of disaster experts, rescue teams, financial resources and equipment.

As of now, the only legitimate body tasked with overseeing disasters like earthquakes consists of a handful of people working in a small disaster unit under the Ministry of Home Affairs.

“Hopefully (these steps) will be taken soon and people will take this issue much more seriously from a risk reduction perspective rather than (focusing on) post-disaster activity,” Man Thapa, programme manager of the disaster risk management team for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), told IPS.

The UNDP is working with local municipalities and organising trainings for masons on how to construct earthquake-resistant buildings, which could “help save people’s lives”, said Thapa.

Kathmandu at risk

Kathmandu’s dense population of 1.5 million people packed into a metropolitan area of just over 50 square kilometres presents unique challenges.

The number of housing complexes has more than doubled over the last decade, further crowding the already congested city, according to experts.

Earthquakes are nothing new in Nepal, which has witnessed 16 major earthquakes since 1223. One of the most devastating quakes occurred in 1934, killing over 8,500 people in Kathmandu; another, in 1988, caused 721 deaths.

Given the current population explosion and a boom in unsafe, high-rise buildings, the scale of a similar disaster now is unimaginable.

NSET estimates that an earthquake measuring seven or eight on the Richter scale could destroy over 60 percent of the buildings, kill up to 50,000 people, injure 100,000 and render 900,000 homeless.

While awareness about the possibility of a disaster is high, very little is being done to retrofit houses, schools or even hospitals.

“People are still not paying serious attention to the information available,” Pitamber Aryal, disaster management director of the NRCS, told IPS.

When a 6.9 Richter scale earthquake occurred in northeast India on Sep. 18 last year, its impact was also felt in Kathmandu, causing widespread panic.

People began to flee the city in a chaotic manner, paying no attention to the safety tips that had been disseminated online and aired frequently through the city’s many local radios.

Fortunately, the brief earthquake took place at six in the evening, when all the offices and schools had already closed for the day.

“If it occurred during school or office hours, a lot of people would have been injured and killed as a result of the panic,” Jimee told IPS.

“That was a drill exercise for all the Kathmandu residents on how to act during a (disaster)…let’s hope they have learnt something,” he added.

(END)

Nepal: Recovering from the earthquake and preparing for the next

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Source: Save the Children
Country: Nepal

Written by Dominic Courage, Shelter Trainee, Humanitarian team in Nepal

“Nangkholang is there – this is my place.”

Jiban, the leader of the Village Development Committee, cheerfully pointed to a small settlement perched across the plunging valley.

Nagendra, the coordinator for our implementing partners, the Nepal Red Cross Society filled in some details.

A fire five years ago had created the patch of now luminous green paddy field just below the village. Cracks in the buildings on our precipitous route signposted the earthquake which, beneath the surface, had loosened soil across the mountainside.

This hidden threat became reality during this year’s monsoon as landslides streaked past the communities.

It’s little wonder that the village is keen to prepare for the next disaster.

Smiling, resilient people

If it gets people down, it doesn’t show. All along the way, our small troop of six were welcomed out of the rain with tea, fried bread and smiles.

Laughing and smiling, the families had a comfort in each other’s company that you don’t see everywhere.

After all, at only three hours walk, this was the closest and most visited of our 60 odd projects in the area. The furthest takes three days to get to – longer of course if you’re unfortunate enough to have to carry a roof truss or a bag of cement.

Rebuilding schools

The two school block reconstructions we’re supporting were part of the extensive complex of 29 classrooms that made up Kalika Secondary School.

Ghanendra, the deputy head, told me how happy he was with the classrooms that, as head of the School Development Committee, he was responsible for building.

As well as the funding, he was grateful for the technical support we’d given him in making the buildings earthquake-resistant and stabilising the slope that he was forced to build it under.

It was heartening to see the technology being copied across the village. The masons we had trained had become hot property.

Disaster Risk Reduction

I met Sita, one of the community mobilisers who prepare train and prepare the villages for disaster alongside school reconstruction work.

Villagers are trained in first aid, search and rescue, and disaster planning. With an initial Save the Children grant, the community builds up reserves of cash and grain to prepare for the worst.

After lunch, I was given the honour of judging the Community Disaster Management Committee dance and drama competition.

Collapsing huts, burning thatch, and even live goats were brought in to try and sway the judges in dramatic interpretations of disaster response and recovery.

I was slightly bewildered as I tried to pick a winner, but in the end went for the best special effects, as well as some handy first aid.

Nepal: Nepal: Annual Report, July 2012- June 2013

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Source: Nepal Red Cross Society
Country: Nepal

The Humanitarian Context of Nepal

Nepal lies in South Asia bordering two giant countries- India and China. According to the census of 2011 the total population of Nepal is 26,494,504 that shows reducing growth rate, (i.e, 1.35 per annum). Th ough Nepal is rich in terms of various cultures, natural beauty, diversity of fl ora and fauna and enormous opportunity of development, it is regarded as one of the least developed countries. Political and economic opportunities inside the country diff er by caste, ethnicity, gender and geographical locations. Politically, Nepal is divided in 5 development regions, 14 zones and 75 districts.

Nepalese are waiting to witness a progressively restructured state devoid of the discrimination based on class, caste, region and sex. Ten-year long armed confl ict in Nepal was legitimately ended in 2006 through the Comprehensive Peace Accord (CPA) that was forged with a commitment for a long term peace. Aft er then, the country was declared a republic and debate about federalism expanded political matrix. Th e country witnessed rapid social and political changes with changed power structure. It was expected that the Constitution will be promulgated in 2 years time through elected Constituent Assembly (CA). However, it faild to do so and extended for next 2 years eventually the CA itself was dissolved as consensus among the political parties. Th e second election for the CA has been decleared and new debates have risen among political paties.

Th us, political situation intermingle with issues like identity, economic vulnerability, ethnic-based and regional based issues that are to be settled down well for sustainable development and economic growth. Good governance is the aspiration of the Nepalese people.

Th ere are some positive aspects in the situation of vulnerability reduction in recent years. Poverty situation has been continuously decreasing to about 25%. Access to electricity and telephone has increased in the last 10 years.

Nearly, 50% of households now have latrine facility in their own dwelling with increased eff orts of Open Defecation Free Campaign. Women literacy has increased and more girls are attending schools. Adult literacy rate has increased signifi cantly and the proportion of fully immunized children has increased remarkably.

On the other hand, thousands of people are suff ering due to disaster and crisis in Nepal. Two persons on avarage loose their life everyday due to disaster and crisis. About 1400 families are still waiting to know the where abouts of their family members who went missing during confl ict period.

With rapid change in political and social as well as economic situation in the country, new types of human suff erings have arisen. Rapid urbanization, increased use of small arms, lack of safe supply of drinking water, waste management problems, pollutions, an increase in natural disasters as well as small scale disasters, health emergencies, increase in noncommunicable diseases, problems of safe access to health care in situation of strikes, agitation and other cases, and diffi culties for humanitarian actors to reach people in need are frequently seen.

Th e context of humanitarian landscape has changed. Th ere is increased pressure for development and humanitarian actors in Nepal. Th ere is noticeable impact of climate change that the seasons and monsoon are being unpredictable. We see increased migration of youths to urban centers and out of the country day by day for employment opportunity and study. Nearly 44% of households have at least one absentee currently living either abroad or within the country. Th is also has led to feminization of poverty and low agricultural productivity particularly in remote, hill and mountain regions. Th e issues of children, disables and aging people are other aspects of problems to be addressed.

Th ere is increased demand of role and commitment of humanitarian actors like NRCS in the context of present socioeconomic vulnerabilities and the disaster and crisis situation of Nepal. NRCS, as an auxiliary body of the government, in support with national as well as international organization has implemented its sixth development plan (2011-2015) in order to deal with amplifi ed multi-dimensional humanitarian issues.

NRCS plan gives priority to save lives, protect livelihood, and strengthen recovery from disaster and crisis as well as to promote safer, resilient and healthy communities. In order to promote social inclusion and culture of non-violence and peace, the plan also imply. NRCS is committed to strengthen organizational governance and management capacity at all level for better performance to reduce vulnerability of the community of Nepal.

India: Building Back Better: A More Resilient Sikkim Post 2011 Earthquake, Southasiadisasters.net issue no. 98, October 2013

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Source: All India Disaster Mitigation Institute
Country: India

Earthquake in Himalayas is shared nightmare. The 2011 earthquake in Sikkim offered built pilot of experience. What does this experience tell us? A small effort is made to capture the experience in Sikkim.

This issue of Southasiadisasters.net focuses primarily upon the recovery and rehabilitation of the Indian state of Sikkim post the 18 September 2011 earthquake. Filled with well researched articles and summary reports, the theme of this issue is ‘Building a More Resilient Sikkim Post 2011’.

The content includes:

i. Two Years after the Sikkim Earthquake: Important Lessons Learnt ii. AIDMI and the Sikkim Earthquake 2011 iii. Summary Analysis Sikkim State Disaster Management Plan 2010-2011 iv. Getting Climate Smart for Disasters in Sikkim v. Lessons of Preparedness from Uttarakhand to Sikkim vi. Managing Disaster Debris vii. G20 Summit – A Missed Agenda? viii. Riots in Uttar Pradesh: What Should National Integration Council Discuss ix. Disaster Management and Mitigation Plan 2013 x. Rebuilding the Uttarakhand from Ground Zero xi. School Safety in Sikkim: NSSP and Beyond

The contributions from Mihir R. Bhatt and Kshitij Gupta, All India Disaster Mitigation Institute; Langdon Greenhalgh, Managing Director, Global Emergency Group; and Divyesh Desai, Regional Marketing Manager, Hazira LNG Private Limited, Ahmedabad.

India: Southasiadisasters.net Issue No. 117, September 2014 - Risk Sensitive Heritage Conservation in Sikkim

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Source: All India Disaster Mitigation Institute
Country: India

The destructive potential of disasters to human life and property is known to all. However, what is not known is the detrimental impact that disasters have on the heritage of the areas they strike. Heritage monuments and structures are repositories of centuries of history, culture and tradition and are therefore an integral part of the identity of an area and its inhabitants. However, the damage and destruction of such heritage sites due to disasters often goes unnoticed and is not properly addressed.
This issue of Southasiadisasters.net focuses upon the important theme of the ‘Need for DRR Sensitive Heritage Conservation in the Himalayas’. The Himalayan states of India are home to a lot of heritage sites and structures, which include palaces, temples (gompas), monasteries, stupas and old neighbourhoods. The high risk profile of the Himalayas makes a disaster risk reduction (DRR) sensitive approach to conservation of such heritage sites and structures imperative. This issue of Southasiadisasters.net highlights such efforts from Sikkim and other Himalayan states of India.
Full of information on information on good practices and projects that have promoted DRR sensitive heritage conservation in the Himalayas, this issue is must read for all those interested in this important theme.

The 117th issue of Southasiadisasters.net is titled ‘Risk Sensitive Heritage Conservation in Sikkim’ content includes:

i. The Need for DRR Sensitive Heritage Conservation in the Himalayas

ii. Assessment of Heritage Buildings in Context of 2011 Earthquake: A Report by INTACH

iii. Conservation of the Wall-Paintings in the Gangtok Tsuklakhang in Sikkim

iv. Cost of Disasters to India Unknown

v. Heritage Hazard Vulnerability and Capacity Assessment Tool for Hilly Regions

vi. Update on Rainfall Insurance at SEWA

The contributions from Mihir R. Bhatt with AIDMI Team; Aditya Jain, Mehul Pandya, Paola Jani, and Reema Nanavaty.

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