Funds crunch may hit relief chopper service

KATHMANDU, Aug 10: The helicopter services that UN Humanitarian Air Service has been providing to airlift basic essentials to earthquake affected people in far-flung villages may be terminated earlier than planned unless funding is secured to continue operations, UN said on Monday.

The UN statement said any potential interruption in UNHAS service will leave at least 146,000 people in remote communities devastated by April 25 and May 12 earthquakes without the support they require to survive through the monsoon and beyond, including emergency shelter and food and livelihoods support.The monsoon rains and the many landslides further limit or even cut off completely access to communities, making the airlift service more critical by the day. "Airlift support is crucial for the ongoing relief operation," the statement quoted UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Nepal Jamie McGoldrick. "Without it, humanitarian partners will not be able to continue providing vital assistance to communities in far-flung areas, most of which were severely affected by the earthquakes.

UNHAS has been proving essential to overcoming the many logistical challenges, now compounded by the monsoon, and will remain indispensable as we move in the weeks to come with preparing these communities for their survival through the upcoming winter. To date 139 remote communities that are currently inaccessible by road have been served by UNHAS helicopters, according to the statement.

According to the World Food Program (WFP) Communication Officer Seetashma Thapa, the UNHAS has carried out 3,111 sorties to 140 different locations from the beginning of the operation on April 29. The UNHAS transported 2,663 passengers and 1,587 metric tons of cargo have been transported on behalf of 139 organizations.

According to the UNHAS, it needs US$ 18 million to continue to support the ongoing relief operation until the end of October, 2015. To date, only US$ 8.8 million (or 49 per cent) was received, leaving a US$9.2 million shortfall. If the gap is not met soon, deliveries will cease at the end of August.

"Because of great need in remote areas, exacerbated by the recent monsoon weather delays, we currently have a significant backlog," said Edmondo Perrone, Logistics Cluster Coordinator. "We have pending requests to move about 650 metric tons of emergency supplies, and new requests for the movement of cargo continue to be received daily. About 35 organizations are waiting for airlifts, which emphasizes how desperate the need is for this service right now."

UNHAS, the World Food Programme managed service, provides the entire humanitarian community involved in earthquake response with free airlift services, both cargo and passenger. It delivers supplies to remote communities on behalf of the government, as well as more than 135 NGOs, UN agencies, donors, the diplomatic community and other humanitarian partners.

Related story

Seven dead in chopper crash near Kedarnath