Aid agencies 'running against the clock' in Nepal

Aid workers are racing against the clock to deliver relief to hundreds of thousands of people in Nepal who remain homeless three weeks after a deadly 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck April 25, followed by numerous aftershocks. The death toll has climbed above 8,500, with at least 20,000 injured. And it’s expected to rise further, with more believed to be buried in debris sent tumbling again by the second, 7.3-magnitude temblor that struck May 12. The second quake “compounded an already seriously distressing situation,” according to James McGoldrick, the United Nations’ humanitarian coordinator for Nepal. High levels of damage in Dolakha district have now added to the already massive need for shelter — with over half a million houses wrecked across the country. There’s been widespread criticism aid has come too slowly and is yet to reach isolated villages. But while development coordinators are thinking outside the box to push supplies into places that are hardest to reach, they said balanced distribution is just not possible at this stage — as of May 6, for instance, Gorkha received 19,000 tarpaulins while the more affected Sindhupalchok district got only 880. What’s more critical, McGoldrick said, is to get supplies into the mountains before the monsoon season, which is expected to come in the next three weeks. Once the rains hit, landslides are expected to occur, which would make some roads impassable and cut off many villages. “We’re not actually counting inflows, we’re just hoping to get as much up there as possible,” McGoldrick told Devex, noting that it is possible one area would have more food aid while others would have nonfood assistance. But he is hopeful aid distribution will eventually even out once the full needs and the number of affected populations — and to reach them — are determined. Scoping out the challenges The priority now is for logistics coordinators to map communities that can’t be reached by land. The current thinking, according to Alex Marianelli, senior regional logistics officer at the World Food Program, is 70 percent of affected districts near the Chinese border are inaccessible — villages in these districts are located in high-altitude areas, sometimes as high as the ceiling height helicopters can fly to. “Within a week or two we’ll have a very good understanding of where we can’t get to, and what is the cause of inaccessibility,” said Marianelli, adding that this picture will become “very dynamic” once monsoon hits and roads start sliding. Aid workers are also trying to track hundreds of thousands of people displaced by the earthquake. But it’s a challenge made all the more difficult in Nepal because people are spreading out and not staying in formal camps, according to Victoria Stodart, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies shelter cluster coordinator. “It’s a substantial logistical challenge to try and monitor how many people are living outside of their homes and also in what situations,” Stodart said. Agencies are working with local authorities — chief district officers and village development committees — to get information on local populations and try to establish needs. A displacement tracking matrix is expected to be completed in early June. Thinking outside the box To push supplies higher into the mountains, logistics and coordination hubs have been set up closer to affected populations in two of the 14 worst-affected districts, Gorkha and Sindhupalchock, and another in Kavre. “Kathmandu is often the center of gravity for all the activity in this country and by moving up there visibly you show the people there’s a concern for them and there’s a desire to help,” McGoldrick said. “I think this is very important.” Helicopters are dropping supplies at hubs, after which they’re taken further by jeep and walking teams. While coordinators are talking about roping in livestock and mountain climbing porters to reach higher into the Himalayas, locals are also expected to walk down and collect supplies from agreed points. Being able to communicate with the most isolated villages is key to making this work, so they know where and when to come, said Orla Fagan, public information officer at the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Messages are being sent out on radio and mobile networks, and aid agencies are working on putting out press releases and other messaging in Nepali, “because all of these villages speak only Nepali,” Fagan explained. Meanwhile, development workers are still trying to get their hands on enough supplies. Nepal’s only international airport in Kathmandu is tiny and has a backlog of over 60 aircraft waiting to fly in humanitarian goods from around the world, according to Marianelli. At the same time, “procurement locally in Kathmandu has been exhausted.” A regional strategy is being pushed to get around this, with goods sourced in India and trucked across the border — supported by another logistics hub being set up in Birgunj, on the Nepal side. While it’s expected there will be more than enough goods available in India, Marianelli pointed out that, “mobilizing those supplies, getting all the trucks, getting the contracts done, that that takes time.” Further, the WFP official is certain there aren’t enough helicopters to fly these supplies into the mountains. Cutting through the red tape Aid poured into Nepal in the aftermath of the earthquake, with more than 34 countries involved in search and rescue, including the United States, China, India, Japan and the United Kingdom. Coordinating the efforts of agencies, nongovernmental organizations, armies and Nepal’s own government, which was criticized initially for not responding quickly enough and centralizing aid in the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund, has appeared difficult at times. The crucial breakthrough came after Valerie Amos, undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, flew to Nepal. “She had meetings with the Prime Minister [Sushil Koirala] and that sped up a lot of what was there; the blockages at the airport, the question over the funds,” Fagan said. The government then waived taxes on humanitarian goods and eased customs restrictions. Agencies say they’re working closely with Nepal’s government to coordinate relief, from the national level to CDOs — which oversee aid in districts. As for the many NGOs not working under the U.N. cluster system, they’re being provided information at hubs to avoid overlaps, according to McGoldrick. But some are forming their own NGO networks and going directly to local authorities to find out needs, including U.S. nonprofit Kids of Kathmandu, which has programs in education and nutrition. “We’re going into the field, getting information from locals, coordinating with local district information offices,” said Bhushan Dahal, country representative for Kids of Kathmandu, which has teamed up with local NGOs like Asia Friends Network and Incentive Group of Companies. But at the end of the day, basic or cutting-edge logistical solutions would be meaningless if there isn’t enough money to fund them. By May 18, the United Nations’ $423 million flash appeal to cover its response through July 2015 has only been 16 percent ($66.3 million) funded. Donors were briefed Friday in New York, where they were told that the window of opportunity to provide relief before the monsoon is closing quickly, which if missed would mean “real potential for more deaths.” “We’re running against the clock — logistics, shelter and foodstuffs, medical, emergency, health, water and sanitation all have to be delivered very high up,” McGoldrick said. “It’s a very expensive operation but we don’t have any choice.” Check out more insights and analysis for global development leaders like you, and sign up as an Executive Member to receive the information you need for your organization to thrive.