Source: Oxfam Aotearoa
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.
“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.