Nepal’slessonslearningin
RespondingtoaDisaster:
ThroughtheeyeofICT
By
ChetNarayan Rasaili
Programofficer, DisasterReductionNepal(DRN)
CoreGroupMember:NationalYouthAllianceforReconstruction(NYAR)
2nd GlobalForumonEmergencyTelecommunication(GET-2016):SAVING
LIVES
26-28January2016,Kuwait
Presentationoutline
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BackgroundandContext
Nepal:VulnerabilityandRisk.
GovernmentandNongovernmentalresponse.
DamageandlossesofICT
EffectofICT
RecoveryandRestoration
HelpofITU
PositiverolebyICT
RecoveryandReconstruction
Lessonslearned
Waysforward
ContextandBackground
• Powerfulearthquakeoccurredon25April2015
withmagnitudeof7.6followedbyaround300
aftershocks.
• 8,673peoplelosttheirlivesand23000people
wereinjured.
• Halfmillionprivatehouseswerefullydestroyed
and250000houseswerepartiallydamaged.
• 8millionpeoplewereaffected.
• 14out75districtsweremostlyaffected,including
capitalarea.
Nepal:VulnerabilityandRisk
Disasters
Ranking
Source
Disasterproneintheworld 20th ranked
UNDP/BCPR 2004
Climatechange
vulnerability- ranked
4th
Maplecroft,2011
Earthquakevulnerability
risk
11th ranked
UNDP/BCPR,2004
Water induced disasterrisk 30th ranked
UNDP/BCPR,2004
Kathmandu, thecapital
High risk
city- Earthquakeamong 21
megacitiesintheworld
UNDP
2People losslivesdailyin
averageandthousand of
HHs displacedeveryyear.
GoN/MoHA,2010
High risk
Governmentandnongovernment
response.
• Reliefpackageweredistributedtoearthquakevictims
bygovernmentandnongovernmentsectorsincluding
INGOsandneighboringcountries.
• GoNorganizedadonorconference todemandfunds
forusinginrecoveryandreconstructionprograms.
• NationalPlanningCommissionoftheGoNin
partnershipwithworldbank,UNDP,JICA,Asian
DevelopmentBankpreparedPostDisasterNeed
Assessment(PDNA)toidentifythedamage,lossesand
recoverystrategies.
• NationalReconstructionAuthority(NRA)hasbeen
recentlyestablished.
DamageandlossesofICT
• Most of the buildings of Ministry of Information and
Communications and related agencies, telecommunication
operators, internet Service Providers,Postal Sector,
Television Broadcasters, Newspapers, Radio Broadcasters,
Federation of Nepal Cable TV providers were fully and
partially damaged in the affected districts.
• The total damages and losses of infrastructures related ICT
in economic flows are estimated at US$36.10 million and
US$ 50.85 million respectively.
• Networkcongestionanddowntimewereexperienced
duringtheperiodofearthquakeanditsaftershocking.
• Operatorsfacedoperationallossesduetonetwork
downtimeandtheprovisionoffreeservicestocustomers.
EffectofICT
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Thecoremobilecommunicationnetworkequipment,majorPOPsandbackbonelinkswerenot
verymuchaffectedintheearthquakestocausetotaldisruptionofservices.
38%of2Gand4%of3Gnetworksitesweredownaftertheearthquake.Thefieldoperation
teamsandoutsources wenttothedown-sites torecoverthem.Therewere3challenges:
– Thebuildingcollapsed:
• Theycouldnotrecover.Forsomeimportantsitesnewsiteswereestablished.
– Thebuildingdamaged:
• Ifitwassafetoclimbtothetopofthebuildingwhererooftoptowerexist,teams
recovered.
– Thebuildingwassound andsolidbutthesiteequipmentdamaged:
• Thebuildingownerdidnotallowentrance:
– Theownersseetherooftoptowersasarisk,theywantedtodismantlethem.
• Thebuildingownerallowedtheentrance:
– Teamsrecoveredthedown-sites
Mobilenetworkoperatorsneedednetworkequipment;theystartedtheimportprocurement
processfortheequipmentthatwasnotavailableinthecountry.
Aftertheearthquakethegridpowerwentdown.
Dependingonthebatteryreserves,sitesremainedtoworkbetween8-14hours.
Thenpowerproblemsraisedintheupandrunningsites,teamschangedthebatteriesby
transferringmobilegeneratorsamongthesiteswherethereiswaytogoeitherbycaroron
foot.
RecoveryandRestoration
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Congestion:
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Coordination:
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Coordination andinformationsharingwasessentialpartofemergencymanagement.Nepal
Telecommunication Operators(NTO)engagedinEmergencyTelecommunication Cluster(ETC)
meetingsforeasycoordination.
Procurement:
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Especially thevoicecallcongestionwashighintheaffectedarea.TheSMSandinternetusageis
promotedbytheoperators.
Networkoperatorsneededequipments toreplacewiththedamagedones.Theystartedthe
procurementsprocessinfastcoordination withNTA.Fromtheemergencycustompointofview,
awarenessinthestakeholders shallbeincreased.
Buildingownersrequeststodismantlebasestationequipment:
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Convincing hugenumberofhouseownerstocontinuetheserviceinthesameinfrastructure,if
buildings areingoodstate.
Dismantledsitesarererouted.
UseofCell onWheel (MobileBaseStation)atdismantled locations.
Optimizationofoperationalsitestomaximizethecoverage.
Startednewvisits foracquiringsitesneardismantled locations.
Batterybankisshiftedtogroundfloorofsomesitestoreducetheloadatthebuilding.Thissolution
ispronetophysicalsecurityofthebattery.
UsedLightWeightPoleinplaceofexistingroof-toptowers
RecoveryandRestoration
• Lossofcoverage:
– Assessmentofdown siteswerestartedimmediately
– InstallationofMicroBTSonhighprioritysiteslikehospitals,governmentallocations.
– MostofthephysicallydamagedbuildingsitesoutoftheKathmanduvalleyarein
operationusingtentsandsheetstemporally
– Constructionofprefabricatedshelterstoshiftequipmentsfromphysicallydamaged
buildings.
– ConstructionofsheetshelterswithTrussandFoundationisstillinprogress.
– Transmissionlinkdamagedsitesrestoredwithsatellitelink.
– Recoveredinitiallythehubsites,misalignmentofMicrowavelinks,fiberdamagesand
satellitelinks
• Internationalvoicecalls:
– Althoughinternationalgatewaysandroamingtechnologiesthatenableinternational
communicationswerenotaffected,especiallycitizensneededtocalltheirlovedonesin
Nepal(orviceversa).Butitwascostly,operatorsmadequickagreementsthatwere
requestedfromtheforeignoperatorstogivefreecalls.
HelpofITU
•TheInternationalTelecommunicationUnit(ITU)hadcontributedwith
satellitetelecommunicationsequipment,wasdistributedtotheMinistryof
InformationandCommunicationthroughNationalTelecommunication
Authority.
• 35satellitephones,
• 10BGANterminalsalongwith
•10laptopsfortheBGANs,
• 25solarchargersforsatellitephonesand
• solarpoweredbatteries.
•ITUhadprovidedTrainingontheuseoftheequipmenttodifferent
agencies.
•ITUhadfinancedthedeploymentoftheequipment,threemonthssatellite
airtimeusageandthereturningtheequipmentbacktoGeneva.
•ITUhadalsoprovidedtechnicalassistanceinformulatingEmergency
TelecommunicationContinuityManagementSystem-draftreceivedrecently
PositiverolebyICT
• Many people were searched and rescued with the help
of ICT.
• Post-disaster relief efforts relied heavily on
telecommunications, internet and broadcast media.
• The means of ICT played a crucial role in keeping the
people informed during and post disaster period.
• The means of ICT played a significant role to inform
people about the recovery and reconstruction
programs initiated by Government of Nepal.
PositiverolebyICT
Citizens outsideofNepalwerefacingdifficulties toreachandknowtheir lovedonesareifsafe,being
abletoconnect reallymattersinthissituation.Thus,
• Skypemadeall Skypecalls tolandlines andmobilesinandoutofNepalfreeofchargefrom27th
Aprilto15th June.
• InAustralia;
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VodafonecustomersreceivedfreecallsbetweenAustraliaandNepalfrom25Aprilto1May(post-paid),
from29 th Aprilto5 th May(pre-paid),
TelstraofferedfreevoicecallsandtextsmadefrompostpaidmobilesandfixedlinestoNepalfrom12 th May
to19 th May,
OptusmobileandfixedcustomersreceivedfreestandardvoicecallstoNepalfrom14 th Mayto20 th May.
InGermany,
T-MobileallowedfreecallsandtextstoNepalfrom25 th Aprilto31thMayforbothprepaidandpostpaid
customerswitharecommendationtorestarttheirphonesrightawaytoreceivefreedataifcustomersarein
Nepal.
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InUSA;
Sprint,BoostMobileandVirginMobilemadecallingandtextingtoNepalfreetoallpostpaidandprepaid
customersfrom25 th Aprilto16 th May.
AT&Tdidnotchargecustomersfortextmessages orInternationallongdistancecallsfromU.S.A,PuertoRicoand
U.S.VirginIslandstoNepalfrom25 th Aprilto31 th May.
Viber switched off‘Viber Out’billingsoNepaluserscancallanydestinationforfree
Recoveryandreconstruction
• Some buildings related ICT owned by private
sectors have been repaired, retrofitted and
reconstructed. However, most of the building
owned by government of Nepal have not
repaired, retrofitted and reconstructed yet.
• The means of ICT will have been repaired,
retrofitted and reconstructed based on build
back better according to the plan of Nepal
government.
Lessonlearned.
• IfthemeansofICTwereusedproperlyand
widely,manylivescouldbesaved.
• ThebuildingsrelatedICTcouldhavebeenbuilt
basedonDisasterRiskReduction(DRR)approach.
• MoreinvestmentcouldbeusedintheICT
infrastructures.
• Thecapacityofcommunitypeoplecouldbe
enhancedbyprovidingtrainingstouseICTduring
thedisasterandpostdisasterperiod.
Waysforward.
• Therecoverystrategyistoensurethatnetworksand
buildingsarebuiltbackbetterandareresilienttodisasters.
• Thecomprehensivepolicyshouldbepreparedtousethe
meansofICTinpredisaster,duringthedisasterandpost
disaster.
• Thecapacityofthecommunitypeopleshouldbeenhanced
inusingthemeansofICTinpre,duringandpostdisaster
period.
• GovernmentshouldprepareinvestmentpolicyinICT
sectors.
• ApprovalofNationalEmergencyTelecommunicationsPlan
andImplementationofthesame
Finally,
ThankyouverymuchJ