Nepal Response Operation Overview as of 4 June 2015 The Logistics Cluster, when activated in an emergency, is responsible for providing logistics coordination, information management; and, where there is a gap in logistics infrastructure, it acts as a ‘Provider of Last Resort’ by offering common logistics services to support the humanitarian community in their response operations. Logistics Coordination, Information Management and GIS  The Logistics Cluster was formally activated on 27 April.  Logistics Cluster Cells have been established in Kathmandu, Deurali and Chautara. Meetings are held on a regular basis in all locations.  Information is disseminated on a daily basis both through the mailing list of organisations on the ground and via the Logistics Cluster website: http://logcluster.org/ops/nepal.  117 Information Management (IM) products and updates have been published and 10,100 unique users have visited the site, producing 14,100 page views. 750 users are currently subscribed to the dedicated mailing list.  The Logistics Cluster has a dedicated GIS officer able to take requests from the humanitarian community for logistics mapping. Relevant maps are available for download on the Logistics Cluster website, including a road access map, a map of helicopter landing zones to assist air operations, and district trekking trail maps to facilitate porter operations and repairs.  As of 4 June, over 250 participants from around 110 organisations have attended coordination meetings in Kathmandu, Deurali and Chautara. KTM Airport Capacity Augmentation   From the start of the operation, the Logistics Cluster established regular coordination with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) to avoid logistics bottlenecks, and a representative has been made available to advise the humanitarian community on customs procedures in Kathmandu. To enable rapid rotations of aircraft on the landing strip, equipment including forklifts, tele-handlers and tractors have been deployed by DFID, IOM and WFP to enable faster offloading of humanitarian cargo. Shunting services are available from the Kathmandu International Airport (KTM) apron to the Humanitarian Staging Area (HSA). For the first month, a US Military team assisted with incoming humanitarian cargo at the airport and also provided forklift training to ensure continuing capacity. www.logcluster.org Nepal Response Air Transport  UNHAS currently has four Mi8 and two AS350 helicopter providing cargo and passenger transport as well as assessment missions for the humanitarian community.  There is a high need for airlift in the Nepal response due to severe access constraints into many of the affected areas, and at present there is a substantial backlog of requests. In response, two additional Mi8 are being deployed and are expected to be operational in the coming week. These aircrafts are being used for both cargo and passenger transport as well as assessment missions and emergency evacuations.  Since April 29, UNHAS has airlifted 329 mt of essential humanitarian cargo and 733 passengers to 81 different locations on behalf of 46 organisations.  UNHAS has flown 742 sorties since the start of the air operation. Road Transport  To augment transport capacity, the Logistics Cluster maintains a fleet of 15 trucks to provide common cargo transport from Kathmandu to the hubs and affected areas that can still be reached by heavy vehicles. The fleet has been scaled down from twenty-five 15 mt vehicles as more organisations are organising their own trucking capacity. Priority is now being given to providing light transportation (3 mt trucks and tractors) from the forward hubs. Additional ad hoc capacity is added when urgently required, including to provide support at the apron at KTM.  40 off-road trucks are positioned between the field logistics hubs of Deurali and Chautara.  Additional means of transport into hard-to-access areas are being established, including the use of experienced mountaineers, porters and pack animals. Storage www.logcluster.org Nepal Response Humanitarian Staging Area - Kathmandu  As part of the Logistics Response Plan drafted in 2013, WFP, as lead agency of the Logistics Cluster, established a Humanitarian Staging Area (HSA) as a contingency plan in the event of a natural disaster. This avoids congestion at the main entry points of affected areas and eases the flow of life-saving commodities during large-scale relief operations. 8 Mobile Storage Units (MSUs) are currently operational at this site.  A storage facility in Dhulikhel (Kavre district) has been established to increase HSA capacity and offer longer-term storage for international air shipments before onward movement. Four MSUs are currently operational at this site. The hub is managed by Logistics Cluster partner Handicap International on behalf of the humanitarian community.  11 MSUs have been provided to partners and the Nepal government to assist with their logistics operations. Two of these were given to local hospitals to increase their treatment facilities, and one was set up to provide a temporary location for the Supreme Court of Nepal.  As of June 1, over 16,500 m3 of relief items (the equivalent of 361 full C130 aircraft) have been facilitated by the Logistics Cluster through the airport for 94 organisations. 62% of this was shelter, 10% health, 18% food, 4% WASH, 3% logistics support, 2% education, and 1% protection relief items. Regional Logistics Hubs    Staging areas and logistics hubs have been established at strategic locations in the affected areas where the road infrastructure still allows access by larger trucks, and which can also support local air operations to hard-to-access locations. These hubs currently include: o Chautara (Sindhupalchock district) - 4 MSUs; o Deurali (Ghorka district) - 5 MSUs; o Bharatpur, - 4 MSUs. Satellite hubs with storage facilities and possibly helicopter landing pads are being established locations to support last mile transport using skilled porters and mountaineers to reach otherwise inaccessible villages. Bidur (Nuwakot district) and Dunche (Rasuwa District) are now operational, both are managed by Handicap International. The Charikot hub (Dolakha), managed by Plan, has one MSU in place as of June 4. The final forward location will be in Dhadinghesi (Dhading). To date, relief items stored in the hubs have encompassed everything from shelter items, food and medical supplies to forklifts and generators on behalf of partners. A total of 8,760 m2 of storage is now in place. www.logcluster.org Nepal Response Last Mile Transport    Severe access constraints continue to hamper the delivery of aid in many affected areas. A strategy has been established to reach people living in the most remote locations. Using up to 20,000 porters managed by the Trekking Association of Nepal (TAAN) and the Nepal Mountaineering Association (NMA), a common logistics supply chain is being established under the lead of WFP to reach approximately 83,000 people living in villages located above the altitude of road access. These skilled personnel will carry up to 30 kg per person at a time in order to reach all affected communities. In some areas pack animals may be used to supplement this capacity, however many trails will not support mules or yaks. The porters and mountaineers leading the interagency response will be augmented by five Mi8 cargo helicopters in unison with three smaller AS 350 helicopters up to an altitude of 3,500 meters. Cargo will be delivered to landing zones (LZ) at forward locations for onward movement. Mountainous areas without suitable LZs can also be served by sling load. The goal of this programme is to provide all the aid requirements of remote communities in affected areas including shelter items, food and WASH, and to provide local employment in districts that have been suffering by the severe drop in the tourist industry. Trail Rehabilitation   There are two types of trail through the most remote locations: most districts have one or two trekking trails of about 1.5 metres wide which are generally accessible during the monsoon season, as well as community trails linking all the wards to the VDC. These are more often washed out by the rains. A large number of all these trails were damaged or blocked in the earthquake and remain subject to landslides. Helicopter flights are now underway to assess and map the trails and prioritise rehabilitation. This assessment process is supplemented by teams of trained mountaineers and Sherpas. The trail rehabilitation itself, which will involve both clearing and major repairs, will be carried out by local workers designated by the local administrative unit. Repairs will begin soon along the northern Dhading trail, which serves 13 VDCs. www.logcluster.org