By Anjali Sharma
UNITED NATIONS – UN and its humanitarian partners on Friday launched a $49.6 million flash appeal on to deliver emergency assistance to more than 84,000 people affected by last week’s catastrophic floods in Nepal.
According to the UN office in Nepal on 26 August, a glacier on the border between Nepal and the Tibet autonomous region of China collapsed, triggered floods that have claimed more than 1,250 lives and left thousands missing.
UN’s local humanitarian team estimated that 84,270 Nepali or 19,284 households were affected by the floods.
Across the Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading regions of northern Nepal, critical infrastructure such as roads, schools, power grids and water systems have been damaged or destroyed, while many survivors have lost their homes and family members.
UN office is working with Nepali emergency operations, the UN aims to help families buy essential goods, revitalize local economies, restore power, prevent disease outbreaks and help prepare residents for the upcoming winter.
The humanitarian workers will deliver direct cash assistance, cold-weather shelter materials, portable solar power units, water purification systems and food aid, while emergency mobile clinics will provide medical treatment and nutritional support.
UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal Lila Pieters Yahia said the “Families have lost everything: their loved ones, their homes, their livelihoods, swept away in minutes”.
She said “Working under the Government’s leadership, this appeal will get cash, shelter, healthcare, clean water and protection to the hardest-to-reach communities before winter closes in.”
The World Bank said that Nepal where agriculture makes up 24% of gross domestic product, half of which comes from livestock, aid teams will even help locals keep surviving animals alive and safe.
UNICEF and other UN agencies are supporting in rescue efforts to find survivors.
UNICEF and the European Union supported flight carried 84 metric tonnes of humanitarian supplies landed in the capital Kathmandu.
UN agency will distribute diarrhoea treatment kits, water tanks, hygiene kits, water treatment supplies, winter clothing and learning materials which it says will support hundreds of thousands of people.
UNICEF’s representative in Nepal Alice Akunga said “This shipment will help us deliver urgently needed support and reach children and families with services that protect their health, wellbeing and future,”.
Humanitarian partners have mobilized and transported relief items to some of the hardest-hit areas, focusing largely on disease prevention and essential infrastructure repairs.
UNICEF has allocated emergency supplies and helped establish child-friendly spaces with recreational materials for children most affected by the disaster.
“Continued support is essential to help children recover, stay healthy, return to learning, and rebuild their lives in the weeks and months ahead,” Ms. Akunga said.
She added “As the scale of the disaster is enormous, the needs remain significant and every day matters.”
