Developed by UN Women in collaboration with the Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare (MOWCSW), Government of Nepal, with collective inputs by the UNCT Gender Theme Group Task Team on Inter-Cluster Gender in Humanitarian Action
2017 Flood Data
Beginning on 11 August 2017, the worst rains in 15 years struck Nepal, triggering widespread flooding and landslides, resulting in large-scale impacts on lives, livelihoods and infrastructure across 28 of Nepal’s 75 districts: Panchtar, Illam, Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusa, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bar, Parsa, Chitwan, Makwanpur, Lalitpur, Sindhuli, Nawalparsi, Palpa, Kapilbastu, Dang, Banke, Bardiya, Kailali, Surkhet, Salyan, Kalikot and Arghakhanchi. The following 10 districts were identified as the most affected: Morang, Sunsari, Saptari, Siraha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Parsa, Banke, Bardiya.
As of 30 August 20175 , Ministry of Home Affairs reported:
- 159 dead (approx. 30% of which female6 ) and 45 injured - 29 people remain missing - 191,717 houses partially damaged and destroyed, out of which 43,433 completely destroyed - 20,888 families have been temporarily displaced
According to analysis undertaken by UN Women based on the 2011 Population Census7 , out of the 1.07 million total number of affected people in the ten most affected districts, 541,102 are women and girls (50.4%). An estimated 6,656 are women with disabilities out of a total 10,736 persons with disabilities. Further, 18% of the affected households are female headed, i.e. approx. 34,509 households. UNFPA further estimated that some 268,404 are women of reproductive age, of which around 21,000 are pregnant. The next three months will likely see around 6,700 pregnant women experience complications requiring emergency obstetric care.
Rural areas are hard hit without electricity and flood affected people are temporarily residing on rooftops and in schools, post offices, temples and on open ground. Flood affected people are in need of immediate food (including specific nutrition requirements), shelter, healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene, clothes, as well as overall protection support and services.
Globally evidence has shown that gender based discrimination and violence is often reinforced, perpetuated and exacerbated by disasters. As the data above indicates, the flood affected districts are also home to some of the most marginalised population groups, including over 50% female, who already face multiple forms of prevailing discrimination, exclusion and inequalities based on gender, age, caste, ethnicity, marital status, mental and physical abilities, sexual orientation and gender identity. Integrating a gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) approach is critical to ensure that women and girls, particularly the most marginalised and vulnerable groups – single women, female headed households, persons living with disabilities, pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls, Lesbian,
Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex (LGBTI)), senior citizens, children, caste and ethnicity-based minorities – groups who are particularly impacted and in need of targeted support to ensure equitable access to and benefit from relief, services and information, receive sufficient attention and support.
This emergency comes at a time when Nepal is still struggling to recover from the 2015 earthquake, and when much reconstruction and recovery work is still ongoing. Five of the current flood affected districts were also affected by the earthquakes. Additionally, four of the current flood affected districts were affected by large scale flooding in 2014, and have yet to fully recover.