Thomson Reuters Foundation

New Delhi

A fuel crisis in Nepal has disrupted aid agencies’ efforts to send essential items like blankets and clothing to earthquake survivors in remote areas before winter sets in, aid workers said yesterday.
Aid groups supporting people hit by twin quakes in April and May say the mile-long queues for fuel and the lack of cooking gas have affected hundreds of thousands of people in the impoverished nation, including quake survivors.
“Hospitals have run out of essential drugs and supplies, vital social services have been disrupted and aid agencies such as Oxfam have not been able to secure fuel to deliver relief items to prepare people for the winter in earthquake affected districts,” said Cecilia Keizer, head of Oxfam in Nepal.
“If the situation continues, Oxfam’s humanitarian programme will come to a complete standstill within two weeks,” Keizer said in a statement.
Oxfam, which was planning to deliver thermal mats, blankets and hot water bottles to people in rural areas, said it had already had to reduce its programme.
Max Santner, head of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Nepal, said the IFRC had to change the type of relief it was providing to around 48,000 quake survivors.
“The shortages of fuel are definitely hindering our operations. Instead of providing blankets and clothing for the winter, we are going to distribute cash vouchers as we don’t have the fuel to take up trucks filled with aid,” he said.
“We hope that people will be able to buy winter items where they are, but we are not sure on availability.”
Aid workers said the shortages of fuel and basic goods had not reached emergency levels, but they were trying to save fuel.