- 1 week ago
- #agendaawani
With communities facing widespread destruction and difficult access to affected areas, how are aid organisations ensuring help reaches those who need it most? Joining from Kathmandu, #AgendaAWANI speaks with representatives from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and Islamic Relief Nepal on the ground to understand the challenges of delivering critical humanitarian assistance following the devastating Nepal-Tibet floods.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:07This is Ajanda Awani with me, Nailah Huda.
00:10Now, as Malaysia celebrates its 69th Independence Day,
00:14we would like to momentarily pause celebrations that are underway
00:18to draw your attention to the devastating floods that struck Nepal and Tibet.
00:24As of Monday, the death toll has risen to more than 900
00:27with thousands still missing, some of which include Malaysians.
00:32More than 50 Malaysian nationals are also reported to be among those affected
00:36according to Wismaputra as of Saturday.
00:40As international organisations and aid agencies rush to provide emergency
00:46and humanitarian assistance, how do they ensure that these efforts remain coordinated,
00:51remain effective, particularly in precarious and high-risk situations
00:55and environments such as this, how do they ensure that the most urgent needs
01:00on the ground are being prioritised?
01:02And more importantly, why is it significant or important for international organisations
01:06to listen to and work with local expertise and leadership,
01:11especially when responding to crises in challenging environments?
01:15Perhaps to shed some light, we have two international or spokespersons
01:20from international organisations joining us at this hour.
01:22We're very honoured to be able to speak with them as they are participating
01:26in humanitarian support and assistance in Nepal.
01:30Currently, we have first joining us Matt Baden, Operation Manager
01:34from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, IFRC,
01:39currently joining us from Kathmandu.
01:41Thank you so much, Matt, for making the time to speak with us.
01:44Despite your busy schedule, I can imagine, but maybe you can start by telling us
01:48a little bit about the current situation in affected areas in Nepal.
01:52How has it perhaps changed or developed since you have arrived last week?
01:56Well, thank you for having me.
01:58Yes, the situation in Nepal remains precarious.
02:02One of the big challenges that we have is getting access to the most heavily impacted areas.
02:07Our colleagues with the DePaul Red Cross Society were only able to access the Raswa district yesterday,
02:13and again, only by four-wheel drive after kind of a nail-biting journey that took about 10 hours.
02:20There is still a present risk of flooding in a lot of these locations,
02:23which is certainly hampering some of the rest of the search and rescue efforts
02:27that are being conducted by the Nepali government.
02:30And it's also a real struggle then to move the necessary supplies into the areas that are impacted by via
02:36road and air,
02:37due to the impact on the infrastructure as well as the ongoing air operations that need to support the search
02:42and rescue.
02:44What are some of the immediate humanitarian priorities right now?
02:48What does the initial stage of emergency assistance look like?
02:52Right. I'm sure that most of your viewers are aware of seeing the shocking images that have come out of
02:57a lot of these communities
02:58and the destruction that that's followed.
03:00So emergency shelter is definitely one of the highest needs right now,
03:04as people are moving up into the higher areas or higher ground to get away from the damage.
03:10And so the idea of needing the safety of, you know, more permanent shelter will be on a high priority.
03:19I would also follow that closely with water and food.
03:23Obviously that people who are fleeing these situations don't take a lot with them and so we'll likely see an
03:29escalation of these needs in the coming days.
03:32At the moment, it's still a challenge in a lot of ways to even locate and find somewhere these people
03:38have been evacuated to.
03:40Can you tell us in a little bit more detail these challenges that you speak of?
03:44What are some of the challenges faced by emergency and humanitarian groups on the ground right now?
03:50Well, right now, it's actually assessing the total scope of the situation.
03:55As I mentioned, is that the access still remains a great challenge.
03:59And so understanding just the total extent of the damage, it has been quite challenging.
04:05Roads have been washed away.
04:08Communication is only just being reestablished.
04:10And where people have fled, it's still a large unknown.
04:15I know the Nepali authorities are trying their best and I think they've managed to evacuate or rescue at least
04:21close to 10,000 individuals.
04:25But, you know, we simply do not know quite a bit of information right now.
04:29And this will be, again, a major task for any organizations operating in the area and the Nepali authorities in
04:36the coming days.
04:37Hmm. Can you also tell us a little bit about this 24-month IFRC emergency appeal that's being launched by
04:45Red Cross?
04:46Yes. So the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies launched an appeal on Friday night knowing
04:53that the needs are going to be quite significant for the longer term.
04:59So this strategy or sorry, this appeal will cover both the immediate response for the Nepal Red Cross Society as
05:05well as some of the longer term recovery needs that we know that these communities will face over the next
05:11two years and likely well into the future.
05:14Now, you mentioned working closely with Nepal Red Cross and this is where I mentioned earlier the importance of coordination
05:21led by local expertise.
05:23Can you tell us a little bit about this cooperation, this teamwork that's needed?
05:28Because I can imagine on the ground there's quite a lot of, you know, hands, quite a lot of actors
05:33at play, international aid agencies are coming in.
05:37What does this coordination look like? What is the importance of listening first to local expertise on the ground?
05:44Yes. And I mean, this is where the role or my role is a little bit more unique.
05:48I think in that the International Federation works to support the local national society.
05:53So the Nepali Red Cross is one of the preeminent humanitarian actors within the country.
05:57And I mean, they have branches in many of the districts, including the affected districts that have been impacted by
06:03these recent floods.
06:04They have over 90,000 volunteers across the country.
06:07These volunteers are located in the communities that they serve.
06:11And so our job or my job here as an operations manager is to really support the National Society in
06:17helping to deliver that aid where it's needed and how.
06:23At the same time, these local volunteers also have the contacts within the community as well as with other local
06:29organizations
06:30and can help to direct and coordinate effective response when called upon.
06:36Speaking about your role and going back to your earlier point about the challenges that you're facing right now,
06:43still facing difficulty to reach certain areas.
06:45Can you tell us which areas are currently the most difficult to reach?
06:49What is actually making access so challenging?
06:53Well, I think the geography of Nepal is challenging at the best of times, right?
06:59With steep valleys and limited road access.
07:03Yes. The most affected district, the Raswa, closer to the China border, is quite mountainous.
07:10And this is where most of the roads have been washed away.
07:12The main economic corridor from the border crossing all the way down to the Nuwakot district is effectively gone.
07:20And so right now there's only very inaccessible roads and pathways to some of these areas.
07:31This is likely to be a challenge for the weeks and months to come as much of the infrastructure has
07:36been destroyed along this valley.
07:38How might emergency teams assess needs, particularly in prioritizing these needs,
07:44when some communities remain difficult to access?
07:49Well, I mean, we try to do the best we can.
07:51Obviously, working with the communities that we know that we can access and at the same time trying to work
07:56on strategies to get to some of these districts.
07:58I think once the search and rescue operations subside, it'll be a little bit easier maybe to get to some
08:05of these communities by helicopter or other means,
08:07working closely with the Nepali government.
08:10And as road access improves and the risk of flooding diminishes,
08:14it'll be a little bit easier to get materials and do those assessments in some of the more heavily impacted
08:20areas,
08:21particularly in the higher reaches of the river valleys.
08:25What are you hearing from communities themselves about what they need most urgently right now?
08:30Well, as I mentioned, emergency shelter, it is the mall and student season here in Nepal.
08:35It's been raining for the last couple of days.
08:37And so this will become, again, an urgent need.
08:40The evacuation facilities that are there, I mean, they're starting to get filled.
08:44And so we're trying to find additional spaces as necessary.
08:47But again, when you have also large impacts to infrastructure,
08:53it's very difficult sometimes to locate these types of facilities and get them set up as quickly as they need
08:57to be.
08:58So this will be our number one priority as well as getting food and water into these areas.
09:04You talked about some of the more short-term and long-term objectives of goals here.
09:09Are there any needs that may not necessarily be immediately visible in the aftermath of the disaster that we're seeing
09:16right now,
09:17but require urgent attention maybe later on?
09:20Right. And I mean, the loss of permanent shelter is going to be significant.
09:24It will start getting cold in Nepal probably around mid-October, particularly in the higher regions.
09:29And so these families that have been impacted will require safe winterization for the months to come.
09:37At what point does the response begin shifting from immediate relief and response towards more long-term recovery and reconstruction?
09:45Is it too early to say maybe?
09:47I would say it's a little bit too early to say at this point.
09:50I mean, that really needs to be, in my opinion, driven by local community needs and what we're seeing.
09:55I mean, certainly what the complication is, is that we've had this ongoing flooding hazard over the last week,
10:00which is kind of prolonging, I would say, the emergency phase longer than what might have been expected.
10:10As things begin to settle and we're able to move more supplies into these areas,
10:16then I think you start looking at how that transition happens.
10:20But I would say at this point, it's really too early to say.
10:23Going back to this earlier point about some of the needs that may not necessarily be as visible right now,
10:29looking at public health concerns, what are some of the risks to public health as communities remain displaced?
10:36You pointed out shelter being the most urgent need right now.
10:39But as displaced communities remain without shelter, without access to clean water and sanitation,
10:46what are some of the risks to public health that we can expect perhaps in the weeks to come?
10:50Right. And I mean, yes, water, well, emergency water is definitely a priority.
10:55The sanitation is also a huge priority as well, given that, you know,
10:59most of the infrastructure has been now destroyed or now, you know,
11:03there's additional pressures in some of the evacuation centers.
11:05So the risk of public health is obviously high.
11:08We do not want to see rises in trend communicable diseases,
11:12as well as vector-borne diseases like dengue would be another very high risk in Nepal.
11:19Now, you also mentioned the devastating images, videos coming out of the floods in Nepal and Tibet.
11:27There's of course always this sense of, you know, helplessness and despair around the world.
11:32But what might be the best way for the international community to lend a hand in support of humanitarian assistance
11:38to perhaps, you know, have a channel to somewhere, you know, put this sense of helplessness and despair
11:45and support some of the humanitarian assistance that's being provided in Nepal and Tibet right now?
11:52Well, I know that there is a real sense of international solidarity between the Red Cross and Red Crescent societies,
11:58including the Malaysian Red Crescent.
12:00So I would obviously encourage, you know, if people are willing and have the ability to donate to one of
12:08the Red Crescent repeals.
12:10The other piece that I would say is that there's a lot of international organizations that are doing good work.
12:15And so, you know, helping through that is always a very good option for folks that want to help.
12:23Plenty more, of course, we'd like to discuss, but that is all the time that we have with Matt.
12:27I'm pretty sure you have a lot to catch up with and we hope to be able to catch up
12:31with you again in the weeks to come
12:33with more positive news regarding the progress of humanitarian efforts.
12:39Thank you once again to Matt for joining us.
12:41Thank you very much.
12:42That was Matt from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, IFRC,
12:47from Katmandu, telling us a little bit about the current situation, what are some of the challenges being faced by
12:53groups on the ground
12:54providing humanitarian assistance.
12:56Plenty more we'd like to discuss on Agenda Awani at this hour, but we'll take a short break and we'll
13:01be back.
13:16We are back on Agenda Awani to discuss the devastating floods that struck Nepal and Tibet with a death toll
13:23now rising to more than 900,000 more missing.
13:26We want to understand what are some of the challenges on the ground faced by international aid groups in providing
13:33humanitarian and emergency support.
13:36Earlier we were speaking with a spokesperson from an international aid organisation,
13:41but right now we want to speak to a spokesperson from Islamic Relief, joining us right now from Katmandu,
13:48Ikhtiaram Tapamagar, Program Coordinator of Islamic Relief Nepal.
13:52Thank you so much, Ikhtiaram, for joining us on Agenda Awani.
13:55I hope you and your team are doing safe right now, but perhaps you can start by telling us what
14:01the current situation is like,
14:03what are some of the challenges faced by you and your team in sending humanitarian support.
14:10Thank you, Naila, for having me here.
14:12So we, our team was like on the field, on the ground a few days back and we returned from
14:20there.
14:20So after the vivid observation from the ground, so the search and rescue operation led by the government of Nepal
14:30is going on massively.
14:32So we still more than 4,000 individuals are still missing and the search and rescue operation is going on.
14:41And as you also shared, like the casualties due to this flash flood has told, like total data till this
14:52morning has raised 903.
14:55And among the, like 400, 4,200 missing people, so around like 600 are foreign internationals or foreigners, so they
15:10are missing.
15:10And so far, like more than 10,000 people have been rescued already by the rescue and evacuation operation led
15:20by Nepal government.
15:22So, this is the thing and the challenges regarding the challenges on the ground.
15:28So, there is a debris all around the major heat areas in the, in the, in the, in the highly
15:37impacted districts like Nuwaport and Rasuwa.
15:40So, the movement, movement like from one place to another is a place is still hard.
15:47So, there is a restriction of movement and there is the like condition of next round of flash flood coming
15:55from upstream.
15:56So, there is the information like shared by the authorities time and again in the, on the ground.
16:02So, the safety and security risk is still there.
16:06And apart from that, the, as the, as the, as the major infrastructures like, like roadways and, and the bridges,
16:13concrete bridges,
16:14and, and, and the metal bridges are completely destroyed and damaged.
16:18So, there is the accessibility challenge, limitation in terms of accessibility and many people like the, the people and, and,
16:29and the children,
16:30they are, they are stranded on the other side of the river.
16:34So, they want to come to the next site so as to meet their relatives and to get them like
16:40ensure that they are safe.
16:42So, because of this limited like mobility, so the air lifting is the only one option being there.
16:52So, they are waiting for their tons to get the air lifted from that place to safer side.
16:57So, that is the thing.
16:59So, that is the thing.
16:59And, you know, like the rescue and like a short-term rescue operation is going on.
17:04But then, like the, the, the dead bodies within the, like a debris, like beneath the debris have, like, started,
17:14like, like,
17:16producing fall smell or spreading all around.
17:19There's the challenge of spreading like disease also on the ground.
17:24So, so far the short-term rescue operation has been conducted on the surface also.
17:30So, only.
17:31So, the dead bodies on the, remaining on the surface are being removed and carried by the security force.
17:38They are collected, being collected by the security force.
17:40But, the bodies beneath the debris is still there.
17:45So, that is the condition.
17:46Like, we cannot like really move and get into that debris, full of water and debris.
17:53So, that is the condition.
17:54And, so, yeah, regarding this mobility.
17:58So, mobility challenge is one of the major challenges.
18:01Still, we can go to some areas of Noapot, which is downstream of the fast heat area.
18:08But, the major heat area is Russia.
18:12So, yeah, it is, like, adjoining district to Tibet.
18:16So, still the aid worker, humanitarian worker are not able to access the air.
18:22So, the road, road has, road connecting from Noapot to Russia is, is totally devastated.
18:29So, it is kind of a disconnected district from the road.
18:34So, that is the issue.
18:36Like, we are not able to, still able to, like, send the humanitarian relief materials to Russia side.
18:43And, the only option that we have is air lifting from Noapot to Russia.
18:49So, that the affected population remaining there can receive the aid materials.
18:57But, we cannot have, like, direct transportation through roadway, so as to, like, send them and deliver the relief materials
19:05over there.
19:06So, yeah.
19:08Which are some of the areas that your team has been able to access?
19:12And, which area are you trying to access but haven't been able to?
19:17So, we, our team, like, access, like, we could reach some of the, like, accessible and permitted locations of Noapot
19:28only.
19:28So, even all the, like, diastro heat, flood heat areas within the Noapot is still not accessible.
19:37Like, Devigat is one of the major heat area that we reached, we could reach.
19:42Similarly, Bhattar and Bidur, up to Bidur only, we could reach.
19:46So, there are other inaccessible areas within that Noapot also.
19:50Sounds like, Trishuli Bazar is there.
19:53Dhingya is there.
19:54Petravati is another, yet another heat, major heat area within the Noapot.
19:58In that district.
19:59But, we are not still, like, able to reach there.
20:04But, we are trying our best to reach the district within that, places within that district.
20:11And, like, for Rosswa, it is still very hard to reach there.
20:16But, we have been trying our best.
20:19We have been coordinating with district authorities, with Rosswa district and different aid organizations within that district also.
20:29So, we have been trying our best to reach to Rosswa district also.
20:35But, then, our effort is going on.
20:39So, let's see.
20:40We are trying.
20:41But, then, let's see how the conditions and situation evolves.
20:47Because, this is the monsoon season.
20:50So, there is the continuous rain ongoing also.
20:53We do have one, like, difficult access through roadway.
20:58We have explored one.
21:00But, due to rain condition, that route is still, like, difficult to reach.
21:06So, we have been trying.
21:08We have been communicating with the authorities and different aid organizations over there.
21:12So, as to ensure that our aid relief materials can reach up to Rosswa also.
21:19But, at the moment, we have tried.
21:22We have planned and, like, ensured that we will be delivering aid materials up to NOAHUD.
21:28And, the, like, authority will decide.
21:33There is the one door channel or mechanism led by the government authority.
21:39So, as to manage and distribute this relief material.
21:42So, we are, at the moment, we are trying and planning to deliver these aid materials to NOAHUD, like, district
21:50authority.
21:51And, from there, we have been coordinating with the authorities so as to get them airlifted from NOAHUD to Rosswa
22:01district also.
22:02So, that is the thing, yeah.
22:03With all these challenges that you talk about, challenges in accessing certain areas,
22:10with a lot of different actors on the ground, there are a lot of international agencies, government authorities.
22:18Have there been any challenges in coordination or has that been rather effective in terms of coordinating efforts,
22:26humanitarian efforts by different people, different actors, different bodies on the ground?
22:31What is the importance of coordinating, particularly in situations like this, when everyone wants to come and help,
22:37but, you know, sometimes more help can create more problems when it's not being directed properly, right?
22:43So, can you tell us a bit about that, working together with authorities?
22:48So, for this specific disaster, this flash flood we experienced here.
22:56So, the coordination that is being managed by the government of Nepal is very effective for this specific disaster,
23:05like comparing to other disaster in the past, like earthquake in 2015.
23:11So, the coordination has been very effective because the government has strictly managed single door mechanisms
23:19so as to manage relief materials, deliver relief materials to the affected communities and families.
23:27So, the aid agencies and other organizations present on the ground are collaborating, strongly collaborating with district authority on the
23:38ground
23:38and at the central level with the government of Nepal.
23:42So, there is the specific mechanism like international relief whatever comes to Nepal through air.
23:50So, they have been collected at central level in Kathmandu and they have been mobilized by the government of Nepal
23:57wherever the need and need is high.
24:03Like, at the district level, so district disaster management committee, which is the leading agency or the committee of the
24:13government of Nepal,
24:14they have been coordinating with different humanitarian aid agencies and other organizations
24:18so as to collect, manage, gather and distribute the relief materials.
24:22So, this way it has been very effective for this specific disaster.
24:31So, aid materials and relief materials are being collected at the central level.
24:37So, at the like capital city of Nepal as well as the district's headquarters.
24:44So, they are being managed by the single road channel being managed by the district authority.
24:51So, that type of that sort of like effort has reduced the duplication of the effort and has helped also
25:03to reach the affected communities more effectively and equitably.
25:10Yeah.
25:12Plenty more we'd like to discuss, of course, but that is all the time that we have.
25:16Hopefully, we can follow up in the days to come.
25:18I'm sure there's a lot that needs to be done in terms of shelter, in terms of providing clean water
25:24and medical aid to victims on the ground.
25:27Thank you so much, Ichia, for making the time to speak with us.
25:30Despite your busy schedule, we wish you and your team the best in providing humanitarian and emergency support to the
25:37ones who need it the most on the ground in Nepal and Tibet.
25:41Thank you, Ichia, and we wish you safe weather and safe grounds for you to operate in Nepal at the
25:50moment.
25:50Thank you once again to Ichia. That is all the time that we have on Agenda Awani at this hour
25:54with me.
25:54Nailah Hudawa. See you again.
25:57See you again.
25:59Bye.
26:00Bye.
26:03Bye.
Comments