Oxfam has launched an emergency response in Rasuwa and
Nuwakot, the districts worst affected by last Wednesday’s
flash flood, as roads and bridges swept away by the surge
have left entire communities almost impossible to
reach.
Oxfam Aotearoa Executive Director, Jason Myers,
said “New Zealand and Nepal share a special bond, built
through generations of friendship, travel and the many
Nepali families who have made Aotearoa their home. So, when
disaster strikes Nepal, it resonates deeply with people here
in New Zealand.”
On Wednesday 26 August, a landslide
and glacial event around 20km north of the Rasuwagadhi
checkpoint blocked the Lhende Khola, triggering a major
flash flood. At least 1,000 people have been killed and
thousands more are missing across Nepal and Tibet. The surge
then swept into the Trishuli River via Timure, Syaprubesi
and Bhairabkunda, leaving families along the riverbanks of
Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan, in
peril.
“Entire neighbourhoods are under mud and rescue
teams are still digging. The water rose nine metres in half
an hour. What we are seeing so far is only what we can
reach,” said Santosh Pandey, Oxfam Humanitarian Lead in
Nepal.
The collapse of roads, bridges, and
communications has severely hampered relief efforts. The
Government of Nepal’s has asked for 30 temporary bridges of
50 to 70 metres each, alongside food, shelter and water
purification supplies. For now, reaching the hardest-hit
communities depends almost entirely on-air
access.
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“The rivers are full of debris and sewage, and
there is no piped supply left to fall back on. Getting clean
water and safe sanitation to most affected people into these
valleys is the priority now,” added Pandey.
Immediate
humanitarian priorities remain concentrated around search
and rescue, emergency shelter, food, clean water, and
hygiene items, particularly in the heavily affected and
hard-to-reach areas of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. The
Government of Nepal estimates that 8,692 households – nearly
40,000 people – require emergency hygiene support and water
purification, in addition to 3,130 dignity kits and nearly
4,000 baby kits for children under five.
As well as
responding to the current humanitarian crisis, Oxfam is
working with communities in Nepal to improve early warning
systems that will save lives in future flooding events.
Oxfam Aotearoa’s Advocacy and Policy Lead, Nick Henry,
said “Climate change is increasing the risk of similar
disasters as glaciers become more unstable and prone to
collapse. Experts warn the danger of glacier collapse in the
Himalayas could triple by the end of this century at the
current rate of climate pollution.”
Oxfam, working
with its partners and in close coordination with local
authorities, is immediately supplying emergency hygiene
kits, incorporating water purification solutions, for 200
households in the hardest-hit Rasuwa district. But Oxfam
urgently needs $2 million NZD to scale up its response and
reach 10,000 people with temporary shelter, clean water, and
sanitation and hygiene kits.
Oxfam Aotearoa has
launched an emergency appeal for funding to contribute to
this humanitarian response. Myers said, “Oxfam is working
with community partners in Nepal to provide families with
clean water, hygiene supplies and other essential support
following the devastating flash floods. We’re asking New
Zealanders to stand with our friends in Nepal and give what
they can to help families through this
emergency.”
Notes
– Oxfam has worked in Nepal
since the 1980s, alongside communities and local partners to
tackle inequality and deliver humanitarian and development
programmes. Oxfam in Nepal works across three connected
areas: climate and water, gender justice, and humanitarian
response and disaster risk management.
– Oxfam is
working closely with the National Disaster Risk Reduction
and Management Authority (NDRRMA), the Social Welfare
Council and District Administration Offices to deliver
relief materials to affected
communities.
