Six days into the response, the ongoing relief efforts continue to focus on reaching a greater number of areas, in
particular the remote and hard-to-reach areas where many of the poorest and most affected remain.
It is becoming evident that a scale-up of operations is required to ensure immediate and principled assistance
reaches people in desperate need within the next six weeks, in advance of the monsoon season. After the field
visits and meetings with Government authorities and partners, the Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos
emphasized the urgent need to provide emergency shelter and basic goods and services to people affected, as the
weather conditions continue to deteriorate.
Following initial assessments, the Government has extended the most affected area to include Makawanpur and
Sindhuli districts, in addition to Bhaktapur, Dhading, Dolakha, Gorkha, Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Lamjung, Rasuwa,
Ramechhap, Nuwakot, and Sindulpalchowk.
The United Nations Disaster Assessment and Coordination (UNDAC) teams have traveled to Dhading and Gorkha,
where the team has set-up a humanitarian hub for the area. On 2 May, another team is scheduled to arrive in
Sindulpachowk District.
In Gorkha, the UNDAC team has found that there is a dire need for shelter, particularly tents and blankets. Access
to some remote villages remains a key challenge as many landing zones are unsafe due to debris, altitude and
current weather conditions. Road access is limited. Some remote villages can only be accessed by helicopters.Many people continue to sleep in the open due to fear of aftershock and many more have lost their homes in the
earthquake, particularly in Gorkha and Nuwakot. The local weather bureau has forecasted unusually heavy rain for
the coming days. This will place additional strain on the people who have already lost family members and friends,
as well as much of their belongings.
The Kathmandu Airport remains open for 24 hours. However, limited landing slots and the prioritization of
movements of in-country air assets continue to delay the arrival of relief goods from abroad. Furthermore,
humanitarian partners have reported that taxes are increasing and competition for transport of relief goods is
expanding.
In some of the most affected areas, there have been unconfirmed reports of looting of relief goods. In addition,
mentions regarding distributions of relief goods not reaching all members of the affected community in an equitable
manner began to circulate in social and mainstream media. Vulnerable and marginalized groups risk further
exclusion by not having access to critical life-saving assistance.
On 1 May, the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) confirmed that 6,250 people have died and 14,357
people have been injured by the impact of the earthquake, which hit Nepal on 25 April. A total of 138,182 houses
have been destroyed and 122,694 houses have been damaged. In Nuwakot district alone, similar in size to Hong
Kong, over 30,000 houses have been damaged.