Attachments
Background
Heavy monsoon rainfall during 10-13 August 2017 triggered severe flash floods and landslides in 32 out of 75 districts in Nepal (see Figures 1 and 2). An Initial Rapid Assessment conducted in 28 districts revealed that floods and landslides claimed 141 lives, injured 117 persons, displaced 460,900 people, and left 24 missing. Damage to houses, infrastructures, and productive resources was severe; roughly 65,000 houses were completely destroyed and 120,100 houses were partially damaged (Nepal Red Cross Society, IRA Compilation Report, 20 August 2017).
The southern Terai plains were critically affected by the floods and experienced severe humanitarian implications in terms of damage to houses, displacement, food security, health and sanitation, access to basic services, and losses in agricultural production. The Ministry of Agricultural Development (MoAD) has estimated 57 million USD in losses of major crops in 30 districts, of which approximately 56.7 million USD in losses occurred in Terai districts. A quick nutrition assessment conducted by the Nutrition Cluster and District Public Health Offices reported high levels of undernutrition (wasting) in the flood-affected Terai districts.
NeKSAP undertook a 72-hour assessment of the flood using satellite images, the IRA, secondary data, and field information. The results indicated that Saptari, Rautahat,
Mahottari, Bardiya and Banke were most flood-affected districts, followed by Sarlahi, Siraha, Parsa and Dhanusha (Nepal Terai Flood Update Version 2.0).
NeKSAP also undertook a detailed assessment of the flood impacts on food security through ad hoc DFSN meetings in 10 flood affected districts (Banke, Bardiya,
Rautahat, Sarlahi, Mahottari, Dhanusa, Siraha, Saptari, Sunsari, and Morang) during 23-29 August 2017. This report presents the results of ad hoc DFSN meetings.
Highlights
Based on the post-flood situation, the ad hoc DFSN meetings in 10 Terai districts classified each VDC/municipality as minimally food insecure (Phase 1), moderately food insecure (Phase 2), highly food insecure (Phase 3), or severely food insecure (Phase 4). None of the VDCs/municipalities were classified as a humanitarian emergency (Phase 5) situation.
DFSNs classified 504 VDCs/municipalities (nearly 70 percent of 727 VDCs/municipalities) as moderately food insecure or worse in 10 Terai districts (see Map 2). The breakdown of the DFSN classifications are as follows:
- 8 VDCs of Saptari as severely food insecure (Phase 4)
- 215 VDCs and municipalities as highly food insecure (Phase 3)
- 281 VDCs and municipalities as moderately food insecure (Phase 2)
- 233 VDCs and municipalities as minimally food insecure (Phase 1)
Refer to Annex 1 for district-wide food security phase maps and affected populations for the 10 Terai districts.
The latest round of regularly conducted DFSN meetings (held every four months) in July 2017 classified all Terai districts as minimally food insecure, or Phase 1 (see Annex 2).
DFSNs estimated that roughly 709,500 people were in Phase 3 and Phase 4 VDCs, and required external assistance to meet food and non-food needs. This is about 42 percent of the total population in the flood-affected areas and 10 percent of the total district population. The next round of DFSN meetings will be held in mid-November. Until then, DFSNs anticipate that the food security situation will improve in Sarlahi and Rautahat, but continue in the current food security state in the remaining 8 districts if affected households do not receive external assistance.