Paris, march 14th
Fuel and food shortages still hurting most vulnerable
The border blockade between Nepal and India may be over but the Nepalese people are still cut off from essential supplies of fuel, food and medicines. On the back of the catastrophic earthquake that struck the country in April 2015, the six months of shortages has only deepened the country’s humanitarian crisis, reducing aid to a trickle and severely restricting access to those most in need.
Conditions in Action contre la Faim’s (ACF) camps in Nuwakot district, set up to house those rendered homeless by the earthquake, remain dire. “We haven’t felt that the blockade is over, we are still facing the same problem as before with shortages of gas and fuel,” says an ACF spokesperson.
Working in Nepal since 2011, ACF’s aid programmes have been severely limited since the politically motivated border dispute began last September. As the cost of fuel and commodities increased so did the cost of operations and response, forcing ACF to rationalize and minimize all movements, and resulting in reduced visits to the affected populations.
The INGO’s under-nutrition programme, vital to a country where 400 000 children are suffering from acute malnutrition, has slowed down, as well as its ability to deliver care to 13 outpatient treatment programs and support for health professionals and authorities throughout the country.
“The beneficiaries have been doubly impacted, first because of the earthquake and now with limited access to humanitarian support and supplies as well as the increase in prices of essential commodities,” says ACF Asia’s regional director, Shashwat Saraf. “The knock-on effect of the reduced visits and programming means we have been late in reaching out to the population with essential humanitarian support, particularly nonfood items, cash support and shelter.”
The earthquake left thousands of survivors homeless, and even six months after the disaster ACF estimated that 3,8 million people still needed support to access drinking water and that 530,000 people were still living without enough food. Although ACF had already helped more than 150,000 people, there was still a lot of work to be done. Having vital supplies cut off at such a critical juncture dealt a huge blow to the programmes of rebuilding infrastructure and lives, particularly for those families living in camps for displaced people knowing that they will never go home.
Nearly a million homes were destroyed or damaged after the 7.8-magnitude quake that hit the landlocked nation, leaving 8,170 households living in make-shift tarpaulin shelters, earthquake-resistant temporary shelters or camps of corrugated iron for displaced people. There too the blockade added to the suffering, as tarpaulins became less available on the market, and the price of those on sale rocketed.
Almost every village in Nepal’s 14 districts was affected by the earthquake, but those most at risk are living in the most inaccessible areas where fuel for the transportation of essential supplies is vital for the delivery of humanitarian aid, such as food, blankets and warm clothes. More than 200,000 families affected by the tremors are still living in temporary shelters at an altitude above 1,500 meters (4,920 feet) where snow has been falling since November and harsh winter conditions are set to continue through February.
If access to fuel does not improve soon, those living in high altitude may not receive support on time as temperatures get colder.
The blockade has also caused severe shortages in local markets, and a worrying increase in food prices. The price of basic food staples, such as cooking oil, rice, lentils, sugar and salt soared as supplies dwindled. Cooking is still difficult given the shortage of essential fuels such as liquefied petroleum gas, which is widely used for cooking in Nepal. People have turned to firewood to cook, but this increases indoor pollution and results in a rise in the incidence of pneumonia.
“The price of everything became exorbitant. The cost of food that was dependent upon transportation increased so the price of cooking oil jumped by about 50%; lentils by about 50-60%. This resulted in people struggling to cope with the price increase rather than rebuilding their houses,” says Saraf. “Affected population that wanted to buy materials to start rebuilding could not because of the costs – the price of cement rose from NPR 900 to NPR 1200; and the cost of CGI sheets also increase by 25-30%.”
Despite the end of the blockade, daily life remains on hold. Earthquake recovery and reconstruction activities are delayed, and schools are closed because of limited transportation and food for pupils. Hospitals are struggling to function with a limited supply of live saving medicines and equipment. The lack of supplies is already taking its toll on the most vulnerable, including pregnant women, children, the elderly and those with chronic conditions.
Health problems will also escalate from the lack of waste collection. The city needs 3000 litres of diesel and 500 litres of petrol a day to run the operation. As a result the black market is thriving, with petrol and diesel smuggled in from India selling for up to five times the normal price.
Thousands more people have lost their jobs as tourism, public transport and restaurants have been forced to suspend their activities. The majority of beneficiaries living in the camps were working as laborers in various factories or as drivers and have also lost their jobs and earnings. As a result, beneficiaries have not even able to buy basic needs like food and water.
While the price of food grain has started to fall since the blockade ended in mid-February, the situation remains cause for concern. For many people the end of the blockade has had no significant improvement in their daily lives. Fuel is still not easily available and transportation problems remain. Overloaded vehicles have led to accidents and fatalities on the roads to Rasuwa and Nuwakot. The market rate remains inconsistent and job opportunities are still scarce.
It is vital that the situation is not repeated, and that supplies start reaching beneficiaries soon, or Nepal may well slide into another humanitarian disaster – this time of man’s own making.