NEPAL: Humanitarian assistance in mountain region still a challenge – WFP
Source: IRIN
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.
KATHMANDU, 22 November (IRIN) - With the notorious 'hungry season' in
Nepal's mountainous areas starting in December, food supplies are already being transported to several food-deficit districts in the northwest region of the Himalayan nation, said officials from the
United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) in the capital.On Monday, WFP will begin 250 helicopter missions to the most food-insecure districts of Humla, Dolpa and Jumla - all which are over 700 km
northwest of the capital, Kathmandu and have no navigable roads. According to WFP, around 750 mt will be delivered to 50,000 villagers.With a budget of US $5.3 million, WFP hopes to supply food to
these and other vulnerable districts until January 2007.In addition to the logistical challenges of getting food to where it's needed, WFP faces other hurdles. Last week, a convoy of WFP vehicles
carrying food to villagers in western Nepal was held up for nearly a week by the Nepal Transport Union (NTU) due to a commercial disagreement between the union and local commercial entities."It's a
serious violation of international humanitarian law to stop UN food supplies," said Richard Ragan, Country Representative of WFP in Nepal. He added that even during the Nepal's worst periods of
conflict, WFP had never experienced such a blockade.Even the Maoists, during their decade-long armed rebellion against the Nepalese state, had always allowed humanitarian food aid to pass
unhindered, recalled Ragan. The UN food agency had hoped that a peace agreement signed in November between rebels and the government would improve access to vulnerable communities."We're not going
to continue with our humanitarian support if such blockades continue at the cost of the people," explained Ragan, adding that his agency was still experiencing some difficulties, especially in dealing
with the local rebel forces in remote districts.In the Maoist heartland of Rolpa district, 500 northwest of Kathmandu, the UN agency has had problems distributing food for the last six months due to
a disagreement with local Maoist authorities about where food should go."We're already operating in one of world's most difficult areas, and then we have to work hard to get resources from funding
agencies to run such an expensive operation," Ragan said.With an annual budget of nearly USD $30 million for Nepal, WFP will have provided food assistance to nearly 1.78 million Nepalese, and over
106,000 Bhutanese refugees by the close of 2006.WFP's humanitarian support targets the most vulnerable populations living in 31 food-deficit districts across Nepal. In addition to food aid for the
Bhutanese refugees and drought-affected families, WFP's programmes also provide school feeding to students, nutritional support for pregnant and nursing mothers and their young children, and
livelihood support to poor, food-insecure households, through food-for-work activities.
