Tents, tarps still in short supply three weeks on Distribution stats

Naresh Shrestha / THT

Rajan PokhrelKathmandu, May 17Twenty-three days have passed since a 7.6-Richter quake devastated several parts of the country, killing over 8,000 people, but the government is still unable to meet the demand for tents and tarpaulin sheets that the victims need for emergency shelter.According to high-level sources, an acute shortage has occurred after two ministries assigned by the government to look after timely purchase and delivery of tent and tarpaulin have ultimately failed to do so. Though an emergency meeting of the Cabinet immediately after the devastating earthquake released Rs 120 million to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Rs 100 million to the Ministry of Urban Development through the Central Natural Disaster Relief Committee to purchase relief stuff, MoFA has not supplied any material till date, while MoUD provided a few low-quality tents and tarps that could not have cost it more than Rs 500 apiece, according to a source at the National Emergency Operation Centre.According to NEOC data updated this evening, MoUD, which was supposed to deliver more than one lakh tents and traps a week ago has just delivered 40,423 of them, while MoFA has not provided a single tent or tarp till date. The data shows that 5,36,677 tents and traps have been distributed in 16 worst-affected districts by the government and national and international non-governmental bodies till date. Under Secretary Umakanta Acharya at the financial administration section of MoFA said Rs 100 million have been sent to the Embassy of Nepal in New Delhi for procurement. MoFA officials, however, have no idea when the emergency relief will come. Attempts to contact Director General Shambhu KC of the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction who heads a procurement committee for MoUD were unsuccessful. Sources said MoUD’s plan to purchase more tents and tarps failed to proceed after National Trading Corporation objected to its high-priced quotation.In its updated list of recipients of relief fund, the financial administration section at MoHA mentioned that Nuwakot district represented by Finance Minister Ram Saran Mahat received the largest amount of relief fund – Rs 295.9 million – while MoHA has released Rs 2.9 billion for relief and rescue in the districts till date. “There are over a dozen districts that also received funds in the name of earthquake relief despite not suffering any losses in the event,” an official said.An MoHA source said officials were also having a tough time to conduct post disaster need assessment in the districts due to lack of sufficient human resources, while the fragmented government mechanism and non-existence of local representatives also hit the functioning of local government hard.The Great Earthquake has revealed that national disaster preparedness and response systems are in a complete mess, admitted a ministry official