Two weeks after the flash flood, Nepal has made a preliminary estimation that $5.4 billion is required to rebuild the communities and infrastructure. An assessment made joint by National Planning Commission and National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management authority states that infrastructure sector suffered the vast majority of the damage.
And energy sector was also hardly hit as it impacted 13 hydropower projects accounting 759 MW total capacity and five solar panels. It could not be an accurate damage as authorities are yet to reach the ground up to Rasuwa. Similarly road sector has been badly hit with 69 kilometers roads and 33 motorable bridges damaged.
According to estimation, 7570 private houses and 48 public buildings are damaged. As a short-term recovery, government plans temporary restoration including brides and temporary houses for which fund collected at Prime Minister’s relief fund is sufficient.
For the long-term infrastructure, government needs to secure the international fund. Government plans to draw international grants for the recovery and reconstruction. PM Balendra Shah is travelling to New York to highlight the agenda of climate justice during his address to 81th General Assembly of United Nations.
Nepal’s call for financial compensation following recent deadly floods underlines the need to help countries that contribute the least to climate change—but are increasingly grappling with its most lethal consequences, a top UN Official has said.
The devastation Nepal has experienced is an extraordinary, stark illustration of losses and damages that climate- vulnerable countries are increasingly facing, UN Resident Coordinator to Nepal, Lila Pieters Yahia told reporters by video link at UN Headquarters. Authorities have continued search and rescue operations. Nepal Army retrieved one dead body from a tunnel of hydropower projects. Rescuers are still hopeful of finding survivors in the tunnel.
Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba visited the flood affected area. After the inspection, Deuba appreciated the role played by Nepal Army in the rescue and relief operations. Earlier, CPN-UML Chairman KP Sharma Oli had criticized the Nepal Army.
Nepal Congress has prepared personnel to provide psychosocial counselling to citizens affected by the Bhotekoshi disaster. According to party, a cohort of the trained people will head the affected area for psychosocial counseling.
Government has intensified the construction work to restore traffic service along the obstructed Krishnabhir section of the Prithvi Highway. The obstruction in the highway has affected the supply system, mainly shortage of cooking gas. Nepal Army has installed Bailey bridge over the Tadi River. With the bridge operational, the main road link from Galchhi in Dhading to Dhunche in Rasuwa has been re-established. Due to the cooking gas shortage, Industry minister resigned and new one has been appointed.
Government has formed a committee to monitor the impact on maternal, newborn, child, and reproductive health and to ensure health services in the areas affected by Bhote Koshi flood.
Kamal Dev Bhattarai, Kathmandu