Eight days after the devastating Rasuwa floods, 21-year-old Aprasa Nagarkoti remains at a temporary holding center in Sundari Kurini Secondary School of Bidur-10, Nuwakot.

On August 26, while she was preparing to leave for her bachelor’s classes at Trishuli Multiple College, Nagarkoti came to know that her home in Betrawati—the area worst hit by the disaster—had been completely swept away. Her aunt and other family members managed to reach safety, but her 45-year-old mother could not escape. Her whereabouts remain unknown.

Nagarkoti was airlifted to the shelter by an Army helicopter that same day. Since then, she has been anxiously waiting for news of her mother while caring for her ailing father.

Around 140 people are currently staying at the temporary shelter.

The local government has been providing meals, clothes and footwear, ensuring that residents have access to basic necessities. However, Nagarkoti remains unsure about her future and says that she needs a permanent home before she can return to her studies.

“I cannot think about returning to my studies until I have a place to live,” she says. 

Like Nagarkoti, other displaced residents are anxiously waiting for the government to announce a clear plan for long-term temporary housing. Many fear that bureaucratic procedures could delay the release of funds for months or even years.

Sonu Tamang, also from Betrawati, is among them. She is looking after her three children, including her four-year-old son, at the shelter. She says food is not her immediate concern, as relief supplies are reaching the center. 

Her husband, however, was injured in the flood and is undergoing treatment in Kathmandu.

Tamang is desperate to see him but remains uncertain about where her family will go once everything comes to normalcy. 

Across Nuwakot, more than 3,600 people are taking refuge in 19 temporary shelters. 

Relief efforts have gradually become more visible, with dozens of vehicles transporting temporary shelter materials along the Kathmandu–Nuwakot highway. 

Local charities and volunteer groups have also been providing hot meals to displaced residents.

Meanwhile, security forces have continued search-and-rescue operations eight days after the disaster.

On the morning of September 2, the Nepal Army rescued 80-year-old Gombo Lama, a diabetic patient, along with his 69-year-old wife and other family members from Hakubesi in Rasuwa. The family had survived for more than a week on dry food dropped by Army helicopters.

Three members of the family remain missing. Lama’s wife said returning to their destroyed home is no longer possible and expressed a desire to relocate to Dhunche.

Rescue operations at hydropower tunnels, meanwhile, remain extremely challenging.

Massive rocks and debris have blocked tunnel entrances, making it difficult for technical teams and workers to carry out rescue operations. 

Excavators brought to the sites have been unable to operate effectively because of the difficult terrain.

Rescuer Nirmal Dahal said debris cannot be cleared and excavation cannot proceed until functional heavy equipment can be brought directly to the tunnel sites.

The immediate challenge now facing the Nepal government is formulating a clear housing roadmap for the flood victims. 

This situation differs significantly from the 2015 earthquake; during the earthquake, victims still owned their land where they could erect temporary shelters using immediate government cash incentives before receiving permanent rebuilding funds. In contrast, these flood victims have lost their land entirely, leaving them with nowhere to construct basic shelters.

Victims are also aware that Rs 6 billion have already been deposited into the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund along with to international assistance and donations from individuals and organisations. 

Observing the public response, an analyst noted that there is greater enthusiasm among citizens to contribute to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund this time, driven by the expectation that the funds will be utilized properly without corruption.

For displaced residents, Budtha Lal Tamang (30) said that the government must act swiftly to manage shelter, ensuring that the bureaucratic procedures will not delay relief for months. 

Prime Minister Balendra Shah, while addressing Parliament, stated that around 12,000 people have been rescued as of September 2. He informed the house that the bodies of 1,114 flood victims have been recovered, while around 4,000 individuals remain missing. According to him, only 95 of the recovered bodies have been identified so far, prompting the government to collect DNA samples to help establish the identities of the deceased before burial.