The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has urged the international community this Friday to mobilize 49.6 million dollars (around 43 million euros) in order to urgently assist the populations hit by the devastating flash floods and landslides recorded in northern Nepal.
According to OCHA's request, this funding will allow for the provision of essential aid to more than 84,000 people affected by the disaster. With this appeal, the UN agency seeks to support the response plan developed by the National Authority for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management of Nepal, which has designed a four-month operation to address the critical operational gaps identified by the Nepali government itself.
The main purpose is to prevent an increase in suffering and the emergence of disease outbreaks as winter approaches in the communities near the Himalayas.
To reduce the immediate impact and safeguard the most vulnerable populations, the coordinated response is aimed at covering basic humanitarian needs in various areas. Firstly, OCHA contemplates direct cash transfers so that households in the hardest-hit areas can acquire the essential products they require and, at the same time, stimulate local economies.
In the case of communities displaced by the emergency, the agency plans to deliver shelter materials adapted to conditions of extreme cold, along with the distribution of portable solar units to households, with the aim of restoring basic electricity supply and lighting in areas disconnected from the grid.
The plan also includes actions to repair damaged water infrastructure, through the installation of rapid purification systems and the distribution of hygiene products, in order to contain the spread of diseases.
In the health sector, emergency mobile clinics will be deployed to provide immediate medical care and nutritional support, while protection teams will be responsible for reuniting children who have been separated from their families. At the same time, aid teams will provide emergency food and manage the livestock that has survived, with the purpose of safeguarding the livelihoods of rural communities.