IA LCA – Nepal 2009 Version 1.05 Logistics Capacity Assessment Nepal Country Name Nepal Official Name Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal Regional Bureau Bangkok, Thailand Assessment Assessment Date: From 16 October 2009 To: 6 November 2009 Name of the assessors Rich Moseanko – World Vision International John Jung – World Vision International Rajendra Kumar Lal – World Food Programme, Nepal Country Office Title/position Email contact At HQ: [email protected] 1/105 IA LCA – Nepal 2009 Version 1.05 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Country Profile....................................................................................................................................................................3 1.1. Introduction / Background.........................................................................................................................................5 1.2. Humanitarian Background ........................................................................................................................................6 1.3. National Regulatory Departments/Bureau and Quality Control/Relevant Laboratories ......................................16 1.4. Customs Information...............................................................................................................................................18 2. Logistics Infrastructure .....................................................................................................................................................33 2.1. Port Assessment .....................................................................................................................................................33 2.2. Airport Assessment .................................................................................................................................................46 2.3. Road Assessment ...................................................................................................................................................59 2.4. Railway Assessment ...............................................................................................................................................66 2.5. Waterways Assessment..........................................................................................................................................70 2.6. Storage Facilities Assessment ...............................................................................................................................70 2.7. Milling Capacity Assessment..................................................................................................................................72 3. Logistics Related Services...............................................................................................................................................79 3.1. Fuel ..........................................................................................................................................................................79 3.2. Transporters ............................................................................................................................................................82 3.3. Vehicle Rental .........................................................................................................................................................85 3.4. Taxi Companies ......................................................................................................................................................86 3.5. Freight Forwarding Agents .....................................................................................................................................86 3.6. Handling Equipment................................................................................................................................................87 3.7. Electricity / Power....................................................................................................................................................87 3.8. Manual Labour Rates..............................................................................................................................................90 3.9. Telecommunications ...............................................................................................................................................90 3.10. Food Sources ..........................................................................................................................................................94 3.11. Accommodation.......................................................................................................................................................96 4. Scenarios and Contingencies..........................................................................................................................................97 4.1. Refugees and IDPs .................................................................................................................................................97 4.2. Food Security ..........................................................................................................................................................97 4.3. Natural Disasters.....................................................................................................................................................98 4.4. Other ........................................................................................................................................................................99 5. Annexes ......................................................................................................................................................................... 101 Annex 1: List of Contacts ................................................................................................................................................... 101 Annex 2: Relevant Websites applicable to this LCA......................................................................................................... 102 Annex 3: Maps .................................................................................................................................................................... 104 Annex 4: Miscellaneous...................................................................................................................................................... 104 2/105 IA LCA – Nepal 2009 Version 1.05 1. Country Profile Geography and Climate Nepal, home to Mount Everest, is dominated by the world's most imposing mountains with 80 percent of its territory occupied by the Himalayas. Nepal can be divided into three geographical regions, each stretching from east to west across the country. The southernmost strip of land, the Terai, is known as the “bread basket” of Nepal, with its tropical vegetation and highly fertile farmlands. The central region of Nepal is formed by the Mahabharat Chain, a range of mountains that reach modest altitudes of 2,000-3,000 meters. Farming has become an important activity in this region where terraced farms produce rice, corn and wheat. The Kathmandu Valley, a stretch of green in the middle of the Mahabharat, is home to Nepal's capital and other historic cities. The Himalayas stretch across the northern section of Nepal. Eight of the ten highest peaks in the world are located here and most are covered with permanent snowfields. The area is sparsely populated with little vegetation above the treeline (4,200 meters). History References to Nepal can be found in famous Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata, Puranas and also Buddhist and Jain scriptures and establish the country's antiquity as an independent political and territorial entity. The three important dynasties in Nepal were the Licchavi Dynasty, the Malla Dynasty and the Shah Dynasty. The three historically important cities are Bhaktapur, Kathmandu and Patan. The five city-states of the Kathmandu Valley, in which the culture of the Malla Kings flourished from the 14th to the 17th centuries, were conquered by the ruler of the central hill state of Gorkha in the mid 18th-century. Prithvi Narayan Shah is looked upon as founder of the nation. Further expansion by the Shahs in the early 19th-century brought them into conflict with British India. Following the Anglo-Nepal war of 1816, the Treaty of Sugauli was signed. The first British Resident was posted to Kathmandu in 1816, with the British remaining the only foreign diplomatic presence in the capital for well over a century. In 1846 the Shah Dynasty was deprived of executive rule by Jung Bahadur Rana who established a line of hereditary Prime Ministers. These Prime Ministers ruled until 1951 when King Tribhuvan, in a 'Palace revolution,' re- established the Shahs as rulers of the country with a cabinet of Ministers drawn from the Nepali Congress Party. In 1960 King Mahendra assumed direct rule and drew up a new Constitution based on the 'partyless' Panchayat (5 man village council) system. In early 1990, during King Birendra's reign and following widespread agitation for a multi-party democracy, Nepal experienced a virtually bloodless 'revolution. A new Constitution was promulgated in November of that year which retained the constitutional Monarchy as Head of State but introduced a full parliamentary system of government. The Nepali Congress party formed a government that ruled from 1991-94. From 1994-1999 there were five successive