Gorkha District Profile
ACAPS Nepal Earthquake: Ghorka District Profile 1 May 2015 Upcoming ACAPS Products Gorkha District Profile This Gorkha District Profile will be updated as new information comes in. ACAPS will publish an updated Nepal Briefing Note 4 May. District profiles for the worst-affected districts other than Gorkha will be published as soon as ACAPS capacity allows. Nepal Earthquake Magnitude: 7.8 Crisis Impact Need for international assistance Not required Low Moderate Significant Urgent X Insignificant Minor Moderate Expected impact Significant Major X Crisis Overview The epicentre of the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that hit Nepal 25 April was in Gorkha district, 15km from Gorkha town. As of 30 April, 407 people have been killed in the district and more than 1,000 injured. Anticipated scope and scale Priorities for humanitarian intervention Humanitarian constraints The population lacks access to all basic services. Aid is urgently needed. The number of displaced is expected to be extremely high, as up to 70% of all houses were destroyed by the earthquake. The majority of health and educational facilities have been destroyed. People living in remote parts of the northernmost areas are yet to be reached by relief efforts. Improving access, clearing roads. Shelter: tents, blankets. Food delivery. Water supply and sanitation. Health facilities, medical supplies. The population of Gorkha is scattered in hard-to-reach, small villages across mountainous terrain. The earthquake has aggravated poor existing conditions. Continued aftershocks and landslides are hampering the relief effort. Heavy rainfall is also complicating humanitarian operations. Gorkha, with a population of more than 271,000, is one of the worst-affected districts. A great number of villages remain inaccessible, and the population is in desperate need of assistance. An estimated 70% of all houses in the district Gorkha have been destroyed (The Independent 27/04/2015). In some villages, more than 90% of houses have been destroyed (ABC 28/04/2015). 17 village development committees (VDCs) have been assessed as the worst affected: Barpak, Laprak, Gumda, Saurpani, Lapu, and Manbu are severely affected. Simjunch, Kerauja, Uhiya, Samagaun, Lho, Prok, Chumchet, Kashigaun, Sirdibas, Bihi, and Chhaikampar are highly affected (UNDAC 30/04/2015). Access to Essential Services Food: There is a critical need for immediate food assistance. Landslides in Gorkha have delayed the distribution of food aid to affected people (OCHA 29/04/2015). Poor roads are also making it difficult for food trucks to reach survivors (WFP 28/04/2015). Food stores have been lost in houses that were destroyed in the earthquake (INF 30/04/2015). The impact on agriculture is expected to be extremely high (OCHA 28/04/2015). The earthquake will have a negative impact on the next planting season, which begins in June (USAID 29/04/2015). Health: Up to 90% of health facilities in Gorkha have been severely damaged (OCHA 28/04/2015). The inpatient department of Gorkha district hospital has been destroyed (MSF 29/04/2015). The hospital is not adequately equipped and cannot perform surgery on a large scale (Handicap International 29/04/2015). It is running short on staff (Humanity Road 29/04/2015). There is a high risk of infection for the injured in remote areas, who have not been able to access health services (Reuters 29/04/2015). WASH: There is a critical lack of clean water and latrines (The Guardian 29/04/2015). Hygiene kits, plastic buckets, aqua tabs and water purification tablets are urgently needed (OCHA 28/04/2015). Shelter: Tents and blankets are required immediately (UNDAC 30/04/2015). There is an urgent need for shelter, exacerbated by cold temperatures and continued rainfall. People continue to stay outside, either because they have lost their homes or because 1 ACAPS Nepal Earthquake: Ghorka District Profile of fears of aftershocks (CARE 28/04/2015). A significant number of displaced is expected, due to the high percentage of destroyed houses (CEDIM 29/04/2015). Education: 90% of school facilities have been destroyed, affecting 75,000 school children (Save the Children 30/04/2015). Humanitarian and Operational Constraints Large aftershocks have continued to hit the region, hampering relief efforts and causing further damage to infrastructure (LCT 28/04/2015). Heavy rainfall is further complicating the effort to reach remote villages. Landslides are creating access problems and pose a risk to humanitarian staff (OCHA 29/04/2015). Helicopters are having difficulties finding landing places (Reuters 29/04/2015). Heavy cloud cover has challenged surveillance flights (The Guardian 27/04/2015). Fuel shortages are affecting operational capacity (Oxfam 30/04/2015). Type of Housing Houses generally have poor quality outer walls and foundations (OCHA 28/04/2015). The majority are made of brick, which is not earthquake resistant (The Telegraph 28/04/2015). Vulnerable Groups Almost 45% of the population in Gorkha is under 19 years old (CEDIM 29/04/2015). Children continue to live outdoors, without adequate protection against the weather (Save the Children 30/04/2015). Villages in Gorkha are typically populated by women, children, and older people: many working-age men are migrant workers in India, the Persian Gulf, or Malaysia (FT 28/04/2015). Response Capacity Local and International Response Capacity Aggravating Factors Weather/Altitude/Terrain Accessibility to remote areas was already extremely limited before the earthquake, due to the mountainous geography and poor state of the roads (LCT 28/04/2015). The monsoon season will begin at the end of May, which will further worsen conditions for the displaced population. India is focusing relief efforts on Gorkha district (The Hindu 29/04/2015). Oxfam’s response team is assessing needs in Gorkha (Oxfam 30/04/2015). WFP is delivering food and relief items to Gorkha by helicopter (Logistics Cluster 29/04/2015). MSF teams are operating in the district (MSF 29/04/2015). Nepalese authorities have airdropped tarpaulins, dry food and medicine into remote villages (NY Times 27/04/2015). Local authorities have dispatched two helicopters to deliver assistance in northern Gorkha (USAID 29/04/2015). Save the Children has reportedly reached northern areas via air transport facilitated by the Nepalese army (USAID 29/04/2015). Relief organisations are attempting to reach cut-off villages on foot (Pacific Disaster Center 29/04/2015). Risk of Related Disasters Aftershocks and landslides are putting the population at continued risk of injury and death, as well as further damage to infrastructure (LCT 28/04/2015). Population Density Gorkha is relatively sparsely populated, with many small settlements and villages scattered between hillsides (FT 28/04/2015). Some villages can only be reached by walking for three or four days (Reuters 28/04/2015). People in the most remote villages are so isolated from central government that many lack Nepalese citizenship (NY Times Information Gaps and Needs The number of affected people is needed; numbers of displaced are needed. More information on the condition of the affected population is needed. There is no information of the villages in the northern belt, bordering Tibet. 27/04/2015). While power and phone communication have been restored in Gorkha town, this does not apply to the remote areas (The Guardian 29/04/2015). There are reports of people stuck in Gorkha town, unable to reach their families, who are in villages cut off by landslides (CNN, 30/04/2015). 2 ACAPS Nepal Earthquake: Ghorka District Profile Pre-crisis Indicators Indicator Gorkha National Population number (2011) 271,061 26,494,504 Gender disaggregation 55.3% female 51.5% female Age disaggregation Population density 0 to 4 yrs: 8.6% 5 to 19 yrs: 35.9% 20 to 59 yrs: 42.8% 60+ yrs: 12.7% 75.09 ppl/sq. km 0 to 4 yrs: 9.7% 5 to 19 yrs: 36.3% 20 to 59 yrs: 45.9% 60+ yrs: 5.3% 180.01 ppl/sq. km Average household size 4.08 4.88 People with disabilities Life expectancy at birth (years) Male: 2.8% Female: 2% 71.7 Male: 2.2% Female: 1.7% 69 Measles vaccination coverage for infants 67% 88% Malnutrition prevalence MAM: 6.9% SAM: 1% 0.481 MAM: 8.7% SAM: 2.7% 0.490 Access to improved drinking water source Male: 22.5% Female: 38.1% Wood: 84.7% Liqu. petrol. gas:10.9% Electricity: 76.7% Kerosene: 16.8% 65.4% Male: 22.3% Female: 40.0% Urban: Liqui. petrol gas: 68.2%; wood: 25.9% Rural: wood: 73.1%; Cow dung: 12.5% Electricity: 67.7% Kerosene:18.4% 85.9% % of households without toilets 27.1% Main religions Hindu: 15.2% Buddhism: 19.1% Christianity: 3.3% Urban: 9.1% Rural: 45.4% Hindu: 81.5% Buddhism: 9.1% Islam: 4.4% HDI Illiteracy rate Main source of energy for cooking Main source of energy for lighting (Nepal Census 2011) 3 ACAPS Nepal Earthquake: Ghorka District Profile 4
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