Despite all the money and supplies reaching Nepal, it may not be reaching the victims, sources familiar with the matter told Borderless News, and according to international media reports.
The Nepali government is increasingly under fire for blocking private initiatives bringing desperately needed assistance to remote areas, and allegedly obstructing the flow of relief to the country, the Guardian reported.
Suman Prasad Sharma, the Nepali finance secretary, on Saturday denied charges made by NGOs and top international officials that the government was levying import taxes on aid or had blocked consignments. According to reports in local media, hundreds of tons of vital supplies have been stopped at the Indian border. One report quoted a local customs official at the frontier saying he had no orders to allow the relief through untaxed, the Guardian reported.
Many Nepalis are expressing frustration with the government, claiming the government has done very little to help disaster victims.
Sources familiar with the matter told Borderless News in several incidents Nepali customs asked for a VAT on the donated supplies, in what appeared to be a bid to skim something off the top for their own gain, as well as putting up bureaucratic walls such as requiring certain documents for clearance. Food supplies are allegedly spoiling at the border. The holdup allegedly comes as a result of the government’s instructions that relief funds and supplies will have to go through the government,which has slowed down the relief effort.
Borderless News could not independently verify these allegations.
Isolated villages are also not getting the help they need, and U.N. officials say more helicopters are needed to reach isolated areas, reported some media.
Meanwhile, more than $5 billion will be needed to help Nepal fully recover. Mercy Corps, a global aid agency, told Borderless News that it is focused on addressing urgent, immediate needs while also starting to plan for longer-term recovery efforts.
“We have a team of seasoned professionals – experts in water and sanitation, market development and financial services – who are evaluating needs and mapping out plans to rebuild infrastructures, get local markets open and running again and get cash into the hands of survivors so they can buy what they need for themselves and their families,” Lynn Hector, communications officer at Mercy Corps, told Borderless News.
Photo credit: Miguel Samper for Mercy Corps
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