June 22, 2015: On Saturday, 25 April 2015 at 11:56 local time, a 7.6 magnitude earthquake as recorded by Nepal’s National Seismological Centre (NSC), struck Barpak, about 76 km northwest of Kathmandu. According to the latest records compiled by the government over 8,790 have been killed and 22,300 injured.
Further, the government has estimated that the lives of eight million people, almost one-third of the population of Nepal, have been impacted by these earthquakes.
National Planning Commission, an advisory body for formulating development plans and policies in Nepal, released Nepal Earthquake 2015: Post Disaster Needs Assessment Executive summary on Friday (June 19, 2015). Among others, the summary has calculated major damages and losses in Water and Sanitation sector.
WASH and the Nepal Earthquake
The net total value of damages and change in economic flows to the water and sanitation sector is estimated at NPR 11.4 billion at pre-disaster prices, of which NPR 10.5 billion pertains to infrastructure and physical assets, according to the PDNA report.
The report has estimated a total of NPR 18.1 billion needs for recovery and reconstruction. Out of total 11,288 water supply systems in the 14 most-affected districts, 1,570 sustained major damages, 3,663 were partially damages and that approximately 220,000 toilets were partially or totally destroyed, the report stated.
Disproportionate Impact on Women
It is always the women who suffer most during any natural calamities. The PDNA report said that the deterioration of water and sanitation services, disruption of schools and health services, and the possible increase in food insecurity may lead to a bigger impact on multidimensional poverty. Further, the report states:
The destruction of water supply and sanitation facilities will have a direct negative impact on women and girls as they will now have to fetch water from greater distance. The work burden on women, and the disproportionate cost borne by them in the household economy, not only limits the time they can spend in economic activities but restricts them spatially and culturally to activities that are compatible with their domestic obligations.
Here’s a link to the executive summary of Post Disaster Needs Assessment Here
                                                                                                                                                                                             By: Pragya Lamsal
(Pragya is a young development professional interested in water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) issues in Nepal and South Asia. She often writes on human rights, gender and development issues. This piece is a modified version of her personal blog.)
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