Emergency Response in Rural Areas

One week has gone by after the Nepal Earthquake that struck on April 25, 2015. Aid was rushed to Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. As of today, May 2, 2015 the electricity in Kathmandu has been turned back on, and while it is not constant, this has brought relief for many of the residents. However, there is still a large portion of the country that does not have access to food, medicine, and clean water. Recovery of the rural communities of Nepal is the next challenge for the country. Many of these communities have experienced significant damage, and are now inaccessible due to severely damaged roads, fallen boulders, or landslides. In addition, the government is working hard to document where damage has occurred because there is no electricity and phone lines are down; therefore, the government cannot communicate with many of these rural areas.

Gorkha and Lamjung are two rural areas located near the epicenter. These two areas are located in the Kathmandu Valley, which is home to about 2.5 million people. The main roads leading out of Nepal into the Kathmandu Valley are poorly maintained under normal conditions. The earthquake caused landslides in this hilly and forested region blocking and destroying the roads in different areas. According to BBC, it is typical in these regions for men to go and work abroad leaving elderly, women, and children in the rural communities.

Examples of rural towns without aid

Bhaktapur: This is an ancient city located about an hour outside of Kathmandu. The town was destroyed by the earthquake. Although it is in close proximity to Kathmandu, supplies have not reached the town yet. The residents of the town are living in tents they have set up. Limited food, medicine or clean water has reached the town as a part of rescue and aid operations. Trucks containing jugs of water drive by the city without stopping.

Saurpani: This was the epicenter of the earthquake, and the only way to reach the town is by a five hour drive from Kathmandu, then another several miles by foot. Large boulders are blocking the road and therefore driving into the town is not possible. Over 300,000 live in the Gorkha region where Saurpani is located.

 

 

	Figure 1. Damaged homes on Tuesday in the Gorkha district of Nepal after Saturday’s earthquake (Credit Sajjad Hussain/Agence France-Presse).

 Sindhupalchowk: This agricultural district is located about three and a half hours from Kathmandu. It has suffered the worst from the recent quake, with over 1800 lives lost and up to 90% of homes destroyed. However, it has yet to receive all of the necessary relief aid. Rescue teams are facing challenges travelling to this district over the main road since it has been obstructed by landslide.

 

 

	Figure 2. A resident of the village of Sindhupalchowk in Nepal tries to clear debris following Saturday’s earthquake (Credit Danish Siddiqui/Reuters).

Langtang: Langtang is a mountain region north of Kathmandu and about 50 miles from the epicenter. The Nepal government could not get in contact with anyone in this region for multiple days due to power outages. This is a popular trekking region. Tourist season had just begun in Nepal’s trekking regions, and many international people were located here at the time of the earthquake.

There are many other rural areas affected by the earthquake. The Nepal government is working hard to rescue injured from rural communities to bring them to cities to be treated at hospitals. Over 650 people have been rescued from villages and brought to Kathmandu hospitals through aviation assets of the government. The Nepal government has set up 16 temporary camps in the Kathmandu Valley for displaced people.

 

Curated topics from the April 25, 2015, Nepal Earthquake to help inform reconnaissance activities, identify impacted regions, and help document the timeline of earthquake response/recovery.