Displacement Increases in Earthquake-Struck Nepal at Onset of Monsoon Season
Nepal – IOM has warned of a worrying increase in post-earthquake displacement in Nepal as it releases the second round of results from its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM). The level is set to rise still further as the monsoon season began this week.
The analysis focused on the data collected from 49,118 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in 77 priority sites, hosting more than 50 households.
When asked the biggest obstacle to return to their intended destination, 68 per cent indicated a damaged or destroyed house, followed by lack of personal security (11 per cent) and damage to basic infrastructure (8 per cent).
“One of the most striking findings of the second DTM is that people are still arriving in the displacement sites, after more than a month has passed since the second earthquake happened,” said Wan Sophonpanich, Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) cluster coordinator for the IOM Earthquake Response Team in Nepal. Among the 77 priority sites assessed, 11 had residents arriving as recently as last week.
With the monsoon season beginning, CGI sheets (30 per cent ) and tarpaulins (23 per cent) were the first-priority non-food items (NFIs) among IDPs, while blankets (28 per cent) and kitchen sets (26 per cent) topped the second-priority list.
Gaps and concerns were also identified during the analysis of the second round DTM.
Less than half of the sites have access to health facilities while diarrheal diseases have been reported as the most common health issues. Only half of IDP displacement sites have access to water on site; for 45 per cent of sites the nearest access to water is off site and more than 20 minutes’ walk away; in 80 per cent of the sites, no education support was available for children.
Over 45 per cent of sites report that women and children do not feel safe on site; merely 4 per cent of sites have been providing access to livelihood support on site, where 65 per cent of the residents who have lost their land have been relying on farming as the primary source of income.
“It is important that those gaps are addressed as soon as possible, otherwise the IDPs will be more vulnerable when the monsoon season begins,” said Maria Moita, IOM Earthquake Response Team leader.
“We will continue to gather specific information on the nature of displacement, mobility of population, needs and gaps in temporary displacement sites so that assistance is provided in a timely and efficient manner, ultimately helping people to get home as soon as possible,” she added.
A Return Intentions Survey started this week in Kathmandu Valley on the back of this DTM round 2, targeting roughly 1,700 households, to better understand IDPs living conditions and plans for the coming months, and analyze the factors that may help or hinder return to their homes. The results of the survey, in conjunction with the DTM data, will provide vital information on IDPs’ needs for supported return and help inform future programming – by IOM and partners – on recovery and reconstruction.
The DTM is an information management tool, rolled out in the immediate aftermath of the Nepal earthquake by the CCCM cluster to gather baseline information on the nature of displacement, mobility of population, needs and gaps. IOM in its role as CCCM Cluster Lead Agency has been conducting DTM assessment and analysis from the onset of the earthquake response.
The next DTM report based on data collection Round 3, will be published around 15 July.
The following resources are now available online: the DTM report, dataset, dashboard, and displacement map:
DTM Round 2 - Priority site profiles (a Site Profile document with all available details of every priority site in Nepal)
DTM Round 2 - Map of assessed sites
DTM - Interactive map of all sites (a Google map showing the location and basic top-line details of every displacement site in Nepal)
For further information please contact:
Maurizio Busatti, IOM Nepal, Tel. +977 98010 04510, Email: mbusatti@iom.int
Eunjin Jeong, Tel: +977 980 100 53 22, Email: ejeong@iom.int
Joe Lowry at IOM’s Asia-Pacific Office in Bangkok, Tel. +668187 08081, Email: jlowry@iom.int
IOM Earthquake Response CCCM Team, Email nepaleqcccm@iom.int