Aug 04, 2006

The UN WFP starts airlifting food to help tens of thousands of people in far western region suffering from hunger and drought

By A CORRESPONDENT

In an attempt to help the beleaguered and miserable masses of hunger-stricken poor people in remote areas of far-western region, a UN agency has started an operation to transport food.

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) began emergency helicopter operations to help feed 250,000 drought-affected people in the far west. According to the WFP Representative Richard Ragan, "This is only 1st stage of much larger planned airlift. Of the 10 districts we're hoping to feed, only Bajura, Dailekh, Kalikot, and Jajarkot have benefited so far. The other six hard hit areas of Rolpa, Rukum, Dolpa, Humla, Jumla and Mugu won't get any food unless we are able to raise more funds. Of course, we take things very seriously when we read reports about 'famine looming,' or hear that 'people are eating uncooked rice because they are so hungry.' We have also asked government if we might get the support of the Nepal Army for transport assistance."

"Many of the targeted locations can only be accessed by helicopter making this USD$5.3 million program logistically one of the most difficult and expensive operations in the world for WFP," said Ragan. The start of the monsoon rains has now made road access nearly impossible with trucks blocked by landslides and rising rivers. WFP NGO partners SAPPROS and DEPROS are working hard to find alternative transportation, including tractors, mules and porters. In some instances, villagers have had to walk up to five days to collect their rations, according to press release issued by the UN Information Center in Kathmandu.

For the airlift, three commercial MI-17 helicopters hauling four metric tones of food per flight are being used. As of 30 July, 188.12 metric tones had already been airlifted to Bajura district. An additional 1,300 Mt of food will be airlifted to Humla, Jumla, Dolpa, and Mugu districts.

In addition to the airlift, 1,100 metric tones of food-aid have been delivered by truck to Bajura, Jajarkot, Kalikot, and Dailekh districts. Although NGO partners and communities are on stand-by, awaiting food-aid deliveries to start operations in the districts of Rolpa, Rukum, Jumla, Humla, Dolpa, and Mugu, these remaining six affected districts may not receive WFP emergency food assistance should no additional funding be pledged, the press release adds.

WFP is continuing to closely monitor the food security situation in the far-west and has received reports that some villages are again facing problems with this year's crop as a result of hailstorms, strong summer winds and poor rainfall. "We know this is an area that has chronic food shortages but several years far below average production have pushed people over the edge" said Ragan.

Nepali Ophthalmologist Bags Magsaysay Award

Director of Tilganga Eye Center and reputed ophthalmologist Dr. Sanduk Ruit has bagged the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award this year. He is the third Nepali to win the award. He obtained the award under the category of Peace and International Understanding.

He won the award for work in providing lenses at an affordable price to the partially blind poor people. The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation (RMAF), in a press release, stated that the award goes to Dr. Ruit for “placing Nepal in the forefront of developing safe, effective and economic procedures for cataract surgery, enabling the needlessly blind in even the poorest countries to see again.”