Nepal Floods July 2016 - Population Mobility, Displacement and Impacted Areas - Based on Analyses of Anonymized Mobile Network Data (August 9 2016)

Situational Overview and Key Findings

The 2016 monsoon in Nepal started on 15th June, entering the Eastern region on 15th June (MFD) and the country’s Far­Western region on 19th June (MFD). Heavy rain from the start of July caused flooding and triggered landslides across the country, affecting 51 districts (Fig. i). The Terai of the Mid­West, West and East Development Regions have been declared as being most affected (UN, 1 August 2016).

In this report we explore changes in communication patterns, functionality of the network and mobility of anonymous Ncell mobile phone users. We document changes in the network data at the times and locations of known flood and other disaster events during the recent weeks. We then identify areas with similar signals and population behaviour, some of which have received less attention in available reports.

The analyses are intended to support the Government of Nepal and relief agencies with complementary data on the impact of recent rains as well as providing an overview of population displacement during the same time period. Additionally, as floods have long­term impacts on the population, findings in this report can be used, together with other information sources, to support identification of areas which have been particularly affected, thus indicating areas where further evaluation of needs are most warranted as well as suggesting avenues of development for longer­term work on the use of operator data in response to floods.