SINGAPORE: Humanitarian organisation Mercy Relief will be delivering S$120,000 in emergency aid to disaster-stricken communities in Nepal in the aftermath of devastating floods on the country’s border with Tibet.
A team will be deployed to the Uttargaya Rural municipality, in Rasuwa district – one of the worst-hit areas – from Sept 6 to Sept 10 to oversee the distribution of emergency supplies to some 1,800 impacted individuals, said Mercy Relief in a statement on Sept 2.
Flash floods near the impoverished Himalayan nation’s border with Tibet on Aug 26 – triggered by a glacier collapse – has claimed at least 1,000 lives, with about 4,000 people still missing, reported Reuters on Sept 1.
Among the people still missing are 590 foreign nationals, nine of whom are Singaporeans.
Communities along the Trishuli (Bhotekoshi) river system have been devastated, with more than 40km of roads and over 40 bridges swept away, cutting off access to affected districts, said Mercy Relief.
The organisation’s relief package follows its announcement of plans on Aug 29 that outlined initial resource gathering and needs assessments.
Mercy Relief said then that it was working with its local partners in Nepal to find out what is most needed on the ground.
The initial relief package from Mercy Relief will include food, water, sanitation and hygiene supplies, shelter kits and non-food items such as clothing and blankets.
This first tranche of aid will be able to support up to 1,800 people across multiple isolated communities, beginning with about 600 people currently sheltering in three temporary holding centres in Uttargaya, said Mercy Relief.
As road access improves, the remaining supplies will be distributed to nearby communities that have been cut off from aid.
Mercy Relief’s chief executive Leon Yip said: “The scale of this disaster is immense, and with access being the single biggest obstacle, we must act swiftly and strategically.
“We are working with a trusted local partner with proven reach in Rasuwa to ensure that our supplies reach the communities that have received little to nothing since the flood hit.”
The agency said it will tap its partnership with Lumanti, a Nepalese non-governmental organisation that has worked in Rasuwa for three years and has direct access to the affected communities, to deploy aid.
Vidas Varma, Mercy Relief’s international programmes manager, said: “Our team will be deployed on Sept 6 with one objective – to get critical supplies to people who have received little help since the flood.
“We are staging supplies and will move as soon as we get access to the communities. We are not waiting for perfect condition. We are working with what we have. Our team will also look at what is needed next, from temporary shelter to education and psychosocial support for families who have lost everything.”
Singapore is also sending humanitarian supplies and personnel to assist Nepal with ongoing relief efforts, said the Republic’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Aug 31.
The Singapore Police Force is deploying a team to Nepal, including officers specialising in disaster victim identification, in line with Nepal’s request, according to the ministry.
The Singapore Government will also deliver civilian and Singapore Armed Forces supplies to Nepal.
These are in addition to the Government’s US$100,000 (S$127,000) contribution to the Singapore Red Cross’ public fund-raiser on Aug 28.
The Singapore Red Cross has raised around $1 million in total so far, The Straits Times reported on Aug 30.
The MFA’s own Crisis Response Team has been deployed to Nepal since Aug 27 to provide consular assistance to affected Singaporeans in Nepal. - The Straits Times/ANN
