Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to help long-term improvements to the (a) water supply and (b) road network in Nepal after the recent earthquake.

The British Government’s response to the recent devastating earthquakes in Nepal now stands at £70 million, making the UK one of the largest bilateral donors to Nepal. UK support has delivered important results including: 5,600,000 people benefitting from the restoration of healthcare services in their area; 200,000 benefitting from shelter support; and 80,000 people receiving cash transfers.

35,000 people have benefitted from improved facilities as part of the emergency response. The UK also supports with the Gurkha Welfare Scheme in Nepal, which works with communities and local government to develop sustainable community-managed water systems. DFID also directly supports major water projects through UNICEF, which aim to provide long-term and sustainable water access in Nepal.

I have just approved a major additional investment to a rural access programme, which takes the UK’s investment in roads in Nepal to over £70m, to include benefits in earthquake affected areas. This expansion will provide support to maintain an additional 2,400km of roads, which will provide 7.5 million person-days of employment and link 800,000 people to the road network.