The Nepali government has stepped up rescue and relief operations in communities ravaged by the August 26 flash floods, as authorities struggle to reach isolated survivors and begin planning the relocation of settlements swept away by the disaster.
Over 21,000 Nepali security personnel are involved in the operations, with international teams also helping locate people believed to be trapped in damaged areas.
Rescue teams from India, China and South Korea are assisting local authorities in searching for workers believed to be trapped inside damaged hydropower tunnels.
Two workers have been reportedly extricated by the joint rescue efforts, with rescuers calling the operation a “miracle”.
Hydropower tunnels rescue
Local media report that roughly 900 workers were identified as missing from a dozen hydropower sites in the flood-affected region.
Approximately 500 of these workers were reportedly stuck inside blocked underground tunnels.
“Rescue operations are continuing in all the affected tunnels,” said Nepali Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha.
“Let everyone’s efforts and prayers continue. We have not lost hope,” he added.
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More international assistance
The government has also welcomed specialised international assistance, including heavy-lift drones, temporary bridges, body bags and DNA testing equipment to help recover and identify victims.
At relief centres in affected districts, survivors have been collecting basic supplies such as rice, instant noodles, cooking oil and biscuits.
Thousands of displaced people also remain in temporary shelters as authorities assess communities that may no longer be safe to inhabit.
UN flags aid challenges
The United Nations said access to some of the worst-hit areas remained extremely difficult.
“The magnitude of the disaster is so big that there will always be gaps [in assistance],” said UN Nepal co-ordinator Lila Peters Yahia.
According to Peters Yahia, the massive devastation that the disaster left, as well as the mountainous terrain that isolates the flood-hit areas, are among the factors contributing to these gaps.
UN agencies have delivered food, medicine, water and sanitation supplies to these areas via on-ground channels.
At the same time, the agency and the government are considering using helicopters and drones to reach communities cut off from ground transport.
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Relocation, rehabilitation to begin
The government has begun planning the relocation of settlements destroyed by the floods, with officials saying new communities should be established away from high-risk flood zones.
Preliminary assessments revealed that about 15 settlements in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading were destroyed.
Authorities estimate that about 1.6 million people were directly affected and 8,317 houses were destroyed.
In a Cabinet deliberation on Thursday, the government has announced measures to help flood-hit businesses, including customs exemptions for equipment replacement, temporary tax concessions and loan restructuring.
Insurers have also been instructed to speed up claims and provide advance payments of up to 50% of estimated losses.
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