Earthquake Facts and Figures By Dr. Prakash Louis SJ:  It is obvious that Nepal is a landlocked country in South Asia, and located in the central part of the Himalayas bordering to the north by the People’s Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India. With an area of 147,181 square kilometers and a population of approximately 27 million, Nepal is geographically diversified into different regions. Kathmandu, which is located in the valley, is the nation’s capital as well as largest metropolis. From the administrative and political point of view, Nepal is divided into 14 zones and 75 districts, grouped into five development regions. Each district is headed by a permanent Chief District Officer (CDO) responsible for maintaining law and order and coordinating the works of field agencies of the various government ministries. The Interim constitution of Nepal, 2007 has declared Nepal as a federal democratic republic country; however it has yet to finalize its new federal structure based on geography, culture, religion natural resources, sustainability etc. Nepal is typically endowed with cultural and natural heritages. Facts and Figures about Nepal: 1. Size of population: 26.7 million (as per the national census, 2011, Nepal Bureau of Statistics) 2. Area: 147,181 sq km (56,827 sq miles) 3. Major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism 4. Major National Languages: Nepali, Maithili, Bhojpuri, Tharu, Tamang, Newari, Magar, Awadhi Rai, Limbu and Bajjika. 5. Life expectancy: 67 years (men), 69 years (women) 6. Monetary unit: 1 Nepalese rupee = 100 paisa 7. Main exports: Carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain 8. GNI per capita: US $ 742 (Economic Survey, 2011) 9. No of districts: 75. 10. Literacy rate: Total: 53.7%, Female: 42.49%, Male: 68.51% 11. Occupation: Agriculture: 81%, Industry: 3%, Service: 11%, Other: 5% 12. UN estimate of people living below poverty: 40% Rescue by the people After Effects of 25th April Earthquake Dead: over 8,346 Injured: over 14,556 Unknown dead: over 125 Being treated: over 3,920 Homes completely destroyed: over 1,60,786 Homes partially damaged: over 1,43,673 Office & Schools completely destroyed: over 10,445 Office& Schools partially damaged: over 14,201 Foreigners dead: over 43 Foreigners injured: over 46 Foreigners not traced yet: over 41 Population of districts affected: over 1,36,52,804 Affected by earthquake 31 districts and most affected 14 districts Number of dead in: Sindupalchowk over 2,071 Kathmandu Valley over 1,584 Nuwakot over 759 Dhading over 636 Gorkha over 410 Rasuwa over 304 Kavre over 288 Pregnant women affected:over 1,26,000 Women and girls of reproductive age affected… over 20,00,000 Women who may be affected by obstetric complications… over 2,100 Women and girls who may face gender based violence …. Over 40,000 Up to 90 per cent of the houses in Gorkha and Sindupalchowk districts have been destroyed. Across large parts of Dhading, Dolakha, Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, more than 80 per cent of houses have been flattened. The Government is currently projecting the caseload to increase to a total number of 500,000 destroyed houses. In Chapagaon Village Development Council (VDC) out of 2,500 Households 900 have fallen down and other 400 HHs are no more in livable condition. So 1,300 households are homeless there. More than 200 are living under one tent among which there are more women. Over 3.58 billion worth of crops and livestock have been destroyed. Over 3 million people are estimated to be in need of food assistance. Of them, an estimated 1.4 million most affected people have been prioritized for immediate food assistance. The World Food Programme’s (WFP) preliminary assessment estimates that 50 per cent of 91 already assessed markets are functional or showing signs of recovery. Another 50 per cent of shops have been damaged or destroyed. Food stocks have been depleted or ruined and shopkeepers have been displaced or affected. According to Government data from 26 districts, about 1,383 schools have been damaged by the earthquake. Devastated but not Defeated - The people of Nepal as ever strong, powerful, and resilient and cheerful in every circumstances, even in the most crisis moments have and are springing back to normalcy. Right after the earthquake, people of Nepal began to respond to the situation and engage in rescue operations along with the government agencies and aid agencies. Not only those who are not affected but even the survivors were engaged in rescue and emergency relief. Youth clubs, women’s groups, business concerns, schools and colleges, NGOs and INGOs, secular and faith based organizations were and even now are with the people not only through their relief response but also through their accompaniment. the earthquake survivors. Survived earthquake and mistaken cremation - 4-year old Sujina Ghale – who escaped cremation - in her maternal aunt’s house at Banyatar hilltop overlooking Kathmandu on April 30 with her mother Chaju Ghale near her. Sujina was presumed dead and was kept among dead bodies for cremation after she was pulled out of the debris of the house two hours later in Tipling village – 160 kms from Kathmandu and day’s road travel. When her mother Chaju Ghale who had gone to graze the cattle rushed home after the quake asked village health worker Phullu Tamang to check, it was found that Sujina was alive and she was airlifted by helicopter along with the mother to Kathmandu. Since the hospital was teeming with seriously injured people, doctors arranged the child and her mother to be airlifted by helicopter to the aunt’s house on the Banyatar hill on April 28. Immediate Rescue and Relief Efforts a. Government Response - The Government of Nepal has done a very good job in terms of rescue and emergency relief to the affected people. Though the disaster is massive, the Government of Nepal responded to the situation with all its personnel, infrastructure and resources. Some of the responses are highlighted here: Ø Over 100,000 National Security personnel were and are engaged in rescue operations. Ø Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development, in its Operational Guidelines issued on 30th April, 2015, stated that a committee coordinated by Village Development Committee Secretary or Municipal Ward Secretary should spend more than Rs. 452 million within 30 days through the Ward Citizens Forum and Citizen Awareness Centre. For this the Government of Nepal had set up the following structure: Committee Structure VDC Secretary of Municipal Ward Secretary – Coordinator / Coordinator of Ward Citizen Forums – Member Women Members of Citizen Awareness Centre – Member / Social Mobiliser of LGCDP - Member Secretary Areas to Spend on Ø Drinking water, Jeevanjal and first aid management Ø Temporary shelter management Ø Management of food for seven days Ø Management of temporary toilets and sanitation Where to Spend 1. Rs. 9 lakhs per VDC to all the VDCs of Sindhupalchowk, Gorkha, Nuwakot, Rasuwa and Dhading districts 2. Rs. 4.5 lakhs per VDC to all the VDCs (242) of Lalitpur, Kavrepalanchowk, Dolakha, Ramechap and Sindhuli districts 3. Rs. 2 lakhs per ward to all the wards (578) of 38 municipalities of 11 districts - Sindhupalchowk, Gorkha, Nuwakot, Rasuwa, Dhading, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Kavrepalanchowk, Dolakha, Ramechap and Sindhuli districts · Over 2,500 children have been immunized so far by the Ministry of Health and Population and over 39,000 people injured in the earthquake have been treated. · Around 2,60,799 tents and tarpaulins have been distributed to the survivors. · Along with this, nearly 96,236 quintals of rice, 1,81,134 cartoon of noodles and food items, 620 quintals of sugar, 574 quintals of salt have been distributed to the survivors. · A Joint Secretary has been appointed to the Chief District Office in the most affected districts to support with monitoring and coordination. · The Government has appointed a Joint Secretary to each electoral constituency and each district. · The Government has assigned focal points in each district to assist the local development officers to implement funds released for relief and recovery assistance as per the guidelines of the Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development. · Volunteers have been mobilized to support government engineers to assess structural integrity of houses and public buildings to facilitate the return of the displaced and resumption of basic social services. · According to the Government news, from the National Reconstruction Fund Rs. 200 billion have been allotted for relief and rehabilitation. · The Government of Nepal has shown its resolve to engage in recovery and reconstruction and has directed the schools to be opened on 15th May, 2015. b. Response of National and International Aid Agencies: The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) have reported that 25 National Societies are supporting the Nepalese Red Cross Society providing critical life-saving relief. They have provided nearly 15,000 tarpaulins and some 1000 blankets, as well as several hundreds of hygiene kits and thousands of water purification tablets. One week into the response, multinational forces along with the Nepalese Army have treated 570 patients, conducted major surgeries, rescued 942 stranded people, including 20 foreigners, delivered over 100 tonnes of food and relief supplies. Forces have cleared roads in Sindhupalchowk, Dolakha, Dhading, Gorkha, Okhaldhunga, Kavre, Ramechhap, Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Makawanpur, Bhaktapur, Lalitpur, Kathmandu and Solukhumbu districts. Health teams have been deployed to Gorkha and Sindhuli districts to respond to reports of influenza and diarrheal cases. The Education and Protection clusters have established 13 Child Friendly Spaces for displaced communities in Kathmandu, Kokhana, Halchowk and Bhaktapur districts serving over 1,300 children. · Art activities, games, sports, and psychosocial support and key life-saving messages relating to WASH, Nutrition, Health, and Child Protection are being provided. · Satellite communication capacity has been provided to 14 response organizations. · Internet connectivity was installed at the On-Site Operations Coordination Centre (OSOCC). The Cluster is supporting emergency responders with radio programming to ensure communication lines are established for relief distributions. Major Challenges - Health care services, including for pregnant women, remain a key concern. Complications during and after delivery are amongst the main causes of mortality and disability for women. In the case of the disruptions to medical services, the numbers of complications are likely to increase. Minimum Initial Service Package (MISP) calculations project that for an estimated 8 million people affected, approximately 2,400 women are at risk of suffering maternal or obstetric complications. Debris management is required to enable continued search and rescue and humanitarian relief operations. v Restoring community infrastructure to deliver public services is essential. v Cash-for-work activities in support of emergency livelihoods would be of benefit to the recovery of affected communities. Transport and Communication: Main roads are open. However, landslides have challenged transportation of relief items to some areas. Many affected villages are without road access at all. Access to districts beyond the Valley continues to be a major challenge. In some places, relief trucks have been stopped and diverted by communities. This poses additional challenges to the Government and humanitarian partners who work around the clock to transport aid to those in need. Educational Institutions: Information on the full extent of damage to educational facilities in Gorkha, Sindhupalchowk, Dolkaha and Rasuwa districts is still not available. Governance: Local government personnel who have been affected by the earthquake have still not reported to duty. v Deployment of additional staff is needed to assist Village Development Committee (VDC) Secretaries and municipal staff to coordinate and operate local level relief and recovery activities. v Monitoring and accountability mechanisms of district, village and municipal monitoring supervision committees need to be strengthened. Finance required according to Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) 415 million US dollars, that is, around 4,217 crore NPR @ 101.62 NPR., just for vital humanitarian relief. Source: The Himalayan 5/5/15 & 6/5/15, The Rising Nepal 6/5/15, Kathmandu Post, 6/5/15, HIMAL, UNFPA – Nepal, OCHA, UNDAC as on 2nd May, 2015. Key Priorities - 1. Shelter: The number of internally displaced people (IDPs) in spontaneous camps keeps increasing. Most of the IDPs are now living next to their damaged houses. Thus, shelter remains a key priority. There is an insufficient number of partners to provide camp management services and engineering services to survey displaced sites. Collected and collated by: Dr. Fr. Prakash Louis, SJ, C/O. Nepal Jesuits, Kathmandu, Nepal, email : prakashlouis2010@gmail.com By Jesuits Nepal email: sjrelief4nep@gmail.com

To be continued...