News

The 13^th day of the unforgettable calamity has certainly taken its toll with massive media coverage globally and various perspectives from reporting of the statistics to individual stories of grief and victory of death. Today’s media coverage has concentrated over serious concern about epidemic outbreak control, an observation about the positives for Nepal from the Nepal Earthquake, news about expectation of remittance flowing in Nepal and misconducts with regards to distribution of low quality food as relief aids.

Updated Statistics

Republica reports that the total death toll has reached to 7759 with a police report confirming that nine personnel from Nepal Army, 4 from Nepal Police and 1 from Armed Police Force. It also reported that about 11 security personnel, including 10 Nepal Army personnel are still missing.  Ekantipur.com reports that the number of people injured in the Saturday quake and the subsequent aftershocks is 16432, as according to the Home Ministry. Relief Web has also provided detailed data in terms of houses destroyed (284,455). Other major statistics mentioned in the infographic shared by the site include:

• 10600 metric tons of rice, sugar, rice, salt, beans and lentils distributed to communities in affected communities
• 14541 classrooms destroyed, 9182 damaged
• 3900 cubic metres of humanitarian cargo for 30 organizations
• 274 national medical teams mobilized by MoHP
• 592 govt. social planners deployed to support relief and recovery operations
• 126,000 children from the age of zero to twenty three months need nutritious food to avoid malnourishment
• 340,513 people provided with water supply by the WASH Cluster. 27,984 people provided with sanitation services
• More than 150 humanitarians from 47 different orgs using internet services provided by ETC Cluster in five locations
• Seven women friendly spaces established in Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, Nuwakot, Kavre and Dhading districts

Caution towards Epidemic Outbreak

There is increased focus towards post disaster epidemic outbreak. BBC has cautioned about various risks of serious disease outbreaks after the disaster.  Similarly, Dr. Sameer Mani Dixithas provided some important recommendations highlighting on 3Cs of post disaster epidemic outbreak control-Caution, Containment and Continued Care:

• Open storage systems for water that has collected as a result of rain, or used as reservoirs, should be discouraged. Such reservoirs should be treated to ensure that insects such as mosquitoes do not lay eggs in them.
• In crowded camps that do not have toilets in the vicinity, a simple trench system can be built that empties into a larger closed trench. Temporary enclosures made of bamboo and tarpaulins can be built above the trench to ensure privacy. Once the temporary settlement is no longer required, such trenches can be disinfected and covered with soil.
• To prevent the spread of pathogens, food must be properly cooked, and the consuming of factory-sealed dry food items must be encouraged. In the case of water, drinking only boiled (and cooled as necessary) and/or chlorine-treated water is a sure way of preventing waterborne pathogen infection. 
• Even in the most difficult situations, targeted interventions such as communications with the community can be ensured, preventive measures can be put in place and continuous surveillance can be undertaken. This requires the public to be self-aware and needs the government and stakeholders to come together to further support the community. Epidemics will not happen if simple measures are effectively pursued.

Dr. Poonam Khetrapal Singh, WHO Regional Director for South-East Asia is on a visit to Nepal has also reiterated that ramped up efforts are required to boost up health services and expressed her concern about the increased risk of communicable diseases, including diarrhoea, in areas where hygiene and sanitation systems are disrupted as UN News Centrereports.  

Rescue, Relief and Reactions

To boost up the relief efforts, USAID has given additional funding of 11 million dollars to assist the Nepal Earthquake response. Trekking Agencies’ Association Nepal (TAAN), 4 bodies of foreigners have been brought to Kathmandu from Langtang, and one of them have been identified as a Malaysian citizen. There are also complaints about low quality food and torn clothes being distributed in the name of relief. Following the destruction of high rise and old buildings in Kathmandu, government has also started inspection of the buildings to gauge the level of destruction and the effort required to rebuild/reconstruct those buildings, Setopatireports. Nepali Times features a story of a very good initiation by mountaineers engaging on cleaning the mountains rather than climbing in the Everest Base Camp as large amount of debris was created in the area following the avalanche blast.  Sky News covers a story about taking caution over trafficking of girls after displacement camps set up after the earthquake are being targeted. Oxfam International in its press release has highlighted the importance of rapid response required to provide shelter and proper sanitation before the monsoon begins in June. NASA has claimed that its device called FINDER (Finding Individuals for Disaster and Emergency Response) was used to save lives of 4 people using microwave-radar technology to detect heartbeats of victims trapped in wreckage. Following the April 25 earthquake in Nepal, two prototype FINDER devices were deployed to support search and rescue teams in the stricken area. The Independent reports that Nepal Earthquake victims' families have been prevented from leaving Qatar FIFA World Cup building sites to attend funerals.

Positives from Nepal Earthquake

A Youtube video has highlighted 10 major positives for Nepal after the earthquake:

• People stood united to face it
• Nepal Army takes charge very quickly
• Nepal Police Force works tirelessly
• Exemplary work by Nepal Air Traffic Control to manage domestic and international flights
• Good connection and information broadcasting as Nepal Telecom managed to keep networks and Radio Nepal provided 24/7 coverage
• Free Global community – with waivers on international call charges by Viber, Skype and others
• Good management of electricity with electricity restoration earlier than expected
• Leveraging social media to find people, match resources and requirements with relief delivery
• Overwhelming international support
• Crowd sourcing of funds for relief assistance