AMN
Massive relief and rescue operations are on in earthquake affected Nepal despite bad weather. Rescue teams from across the world are facing difficulties in locating survivors of the disaster in difficult terrain and due to bad weather conditions. Despite heavy odds relief material has begun reaching near the epicentre of the quake such as Dhading and Gorkha.
The death toll caused by the devastating earthquake and aftershocks in Nepal has reached 6110. According to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), as many as 6110 people died while 11100 persons were found injured in the earthquake.
Similarly, as many as 10,136 government buildings are reported to have been completely damaged and 13,326 government buildings partially damaged in the earthquake.
Likewise, over 124,728 houses were completely destroyed while 79,645 houses are partially damaged in the earthquake as per the NEOC report so far. The government is to form a mechanism and mobilize it for rescue and relief work in the 12 districts hardest hit by the earthquake.
A meeting of the Central Natural Disaster Rescue and Relief Committee that held in Singha Durbar in the presence of Prime Minister Sushil Koirala decided to set up a mechanism comprising the Joint Secretary each and the senior officials of the security bodies in every district and election constituency.
The mechanism would be mobilised posting them to the respective districts and constituencies.
Meanwhile, the Red Cross warned that nearly all homes had been wiped out in some towns and villages near the epicentre of Nepal’s devastating earthquake. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said they remained “extremely concerned” about the welfare of hundreds of thousands of people in the country.
In areas outside the Kathmandu Valley, the fate of many people remains unknown, the organisation said in a statement.
The UN’s food agency has called for 8 million US dollar in donations urgently needed to help farmers in Nepal recover from the quake that has threatened the country’s food supply. A primary concern is making sure farmers do not miss the planting season for rice, Nepal’s staple food, which is expected to begin in late May, the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organisation said yesterday.
Failure to plant in time would leave farmers without a crop to harvest until late 2016 in a country where around two-thirds of people rely on agriculture for their livelihood.
The International Monetary Fund said it was ready to extend aid to Nepal to help it begin rebuilding. IMF spokesmanGerry Rice said that as soon as possible an IMF team will be ready to visit Nepal to assess the situation and determine the government’s financing needs.