Archived Newsroom • Press Release |
|
ITU deploys emergency communication equipment in Nepal
Bid to coordinate relief efforts in aftermath of devastating earthquake
Geneva, 27 April 2015 – ITU has deployed emergency
telecommunication equipment in Nepal following the 7.8 magnitude earthquake that
hit the country on 25 April 2015.
The emergency equipment includes 35 satellite mobile phones and 10 satellite
Broadband Global Area Network terminals along with solar panels and laptops to
support relief coordination efforts.
“I would like to express my deepest condolences to the people and the
Government of Nepal following loss of life even as the toll continues to rise
and widespread devastation across the country,” said ITU Secretary-General
Houlin Zhao. “The emergency communication equipment sent by ITU will help
restore vital communication links that are essential to coordinate relief and
rescue efforts.”
“Emergency telecommunications play a critical role in the immediate aftermath
of disasters,” said Mr Brahima Sanou, Director of ITU’s Telecommunication
Development Bureau. “They ensure timely flow of information that is much needed
by government agencies and other humanitarian actors involved in rescue
operations.”
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
(OCHA), initial government reports confirm that 30 out of 75 districts in the
country have been affected in the Western and Central Regions, including
Kathmandu Valley. This includes mountainous and hilly terrain in areas where
rural populations are widely dispersed as well as some very densely populated
cities – the greater Kathmandu area, Bhaktapur and Pokhara.
At the Third UN Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction held in Sendai, Japan,
ITU addressed the importance of linking information and communication
technologies to disaster risk reduction.
ITU considers emergency telecommunications an integral part of the post-2015
development agenda.
For more information, please contact:
Sanjay Acharya
Chief, Media Relations and Public Information
|
Monica Albertini
Communication Officer, BDT
|
About ITU...