Written by Dominic Courage, Shelter Trainee, Humanitarian team in Nepal

“Nangkholang is there – this is my place.”

Jiban, the leader of the Village Development Committee, cheerfully pointed to a small settlement perched across the plunging valley.

Nagendra, the coordinator for our implementing partners, the Nepal Red Cross Society filled in some details.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Firmer production estimates for 2012 confirm tightening wheat and maize supplies while the outlook for rice remains positive. In spite of a contraction in overall cereal utilization in 2012/13, the world cereal stock-to-use ratio is projected to decline by 2 percentage points from the previous season.

ODI Project Briefings 78, October 2012

The links between climate change and disasters in South Asia, such as flooding in Pakistan or cyclones in Bangladesh, are increasingly evident.

However, there is little recognition of the potentially life-long impact of climate change and related disasters on the wellbeing of the region’s children.

Floods and landslides pose a significant risk to a majority of communities in Nepal. The Nepal Risk Reduction Consortium Flagship 4, Community Based Disaster Risk Reduction (CBDRR), is focused on supporting communities reduce their vulnerability to natural disasters, particularly floods and landslides. A crucial aspect of reducing this vulnerability is ensuring a community based early warning system (EWS) is implemented and sustained for upstream and downstream communities. Mercy Corps has been a leading partner in community based early warning and CBDRR in Nepal.

Monday, 01 October 2012 09:16

The bodies of four people missing after landslides triggered by heavy rainfall buried and swept away five vehicles in Kolbung of Ilam district on Monday have been recovered from mud and debris.

The identity of the diseased could not be verified immediately Police said search and rescue personnel are engaged in finding ten others who are still said to be missing.

Landslides and heavy rain have killed at least 21 people in the Indian state of Sikkim.

Border Police and the Border Roads Organization (BRO) personnel were among those killed in the landslides, news reports said. Likewise, at least 10 deaths were reported in the state of Assam.

The Northern part of Sikkim is cut off from the rest of the country. Nine landslides have blocked the main road between Chungthang and Mangan, Xinhua news agency said. National Highway 31-A is also blocked.

Four members of a family have been killed in a landslide triggered by incessant rainfall in Chandi Bhanjyang VDC-7 of Syanja district Monday night.

According to Assistant Police Inspector at Waling Police Post, Narayan Prasad Paudel, they died after the landslide buried the house of Om Prakash Subedi. His wife Saraswoti Subedi,27, daughters Akriti, 5,and Asmita, 2, and 20 days old son Govinda were buried to death.

However, Om Prakash managed to save his life by fleeing the scene after he noticed that the house was collapsing, according to the police.

This report is issued by the UN RCHCO with inputs from its UN Field Coordination Offices and other partners and sources. The report covers August 2012. The next report will be issued the first week of October 2012.

[Extract]

Political update

This report covers the period 1 January to 30 June 2012

Overview