Gorkha District Profile

ACAPS Nepal Earthquake: Ghorka District Profile
1 May 2015
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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.
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Improving access, clearing roads.
Shelter: tents, blankets.
Food delivery.
Water supply and sanitation.
Health facilities, medical supplies.
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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.
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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).
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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)
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ACAPS Nepal Earthquake: Ghorka District Profile
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