Attachments
Overview of the Crisis
In the evening of 3 November 2023, Nepal’s deadliest earthquake since April 2015 struck Jajarkot District in Karnali Province in the west of the country. The 6.4 magnitude earthquake, which was followed by over 300 aftershocks, killed 154 (84 females and 70 males, including 81 children) , injured 366, and displaced tens of thousands of people, forcing many to sleep outside in freezing overnight temperatures for fear of aftershocks. According to the National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC), approximately 62,011 households were damaged (completely and partially) and 250,000 people were affected (127,750 females and 122,250 males, including 69,575 children)3 , with Jajarkot and Rukum West districts bearing the brunt of the damage. Despite the earthquake's relatively low magnitude, the high levels of damage and casualties were caused by substandard construction of homes and as it occurred at night when most people were asleep in their homes.
Most of those affected were rural and subsistence farming households, living at high elevations in remote and hard-to-reach areas with preexisting levels of vulnerability. In the immediate aftermath, these families took to setting up temporary shelters next to their damaged homes. Where homes were partially damaged, some people would use their homes during daylight hours but sleep outside over fears of aftershocks and homes collapsing. After the initial distribution of tarpaulins, households did their best to winterize their rudimentary shelters with local materials to fight off the freezing overnight temperatures, but not before many succumbed to respiratory illnesses. This led public health authorities to warn of communicable and vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks in affected areas. In some communities, access to water was also interrupted and in cases where toilets were no longer accessible, open defecation was reported. Access to basic services such as education, health, water, and sanitation came to a halt for tens of thousands of families.
With the initial lifesaving phase completed in the weeks that followed, the federal Government is now focusing on recovery and reconstruction, though enormous needs remain as few households have the economic means to rebuild their homes and livelihoods. Though the Government is providing affected families with cash grants to assist in the reconstruction of shelter, gaps in other sectors remain, including support for the provision of basic services. With the winter season well underway, the urgency to implement longer-term interventions remains, particularly for those whose livelihoods were impacted. Any recovery will also require sustained support, and not just to meet lifesaving needs, but a longer-term investment to strengthen resilience of communities susceptible to natural hazards. All the support will prioritize expanding accountability to affected people (AAP), emphasizing the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA), and enhancing gender equity, mental health, and disability inclusion.