Nepal floods: Govt call off search & rescue operations

The Nepali government has decided to call off the search and rescue operations launched following the deadly floods that struck the country on August 26, as hopes of finding survivors have faded, the Prime Minister’s Secretariat said on Monday.

Forty days after floods in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers devastated communities and infrastructure along the river corridors, the government has now prioritised reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts.

The decision was taken based on recommendations from district security committees, district disaster management committees, the Executive Committee of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, and findings from field inspections, the Prime Minister’s Secretariat said.

A total of 1,455 people have been confirmed dead and 5,285 remain missing following the disaster till date, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

The meeting also decided to recommend a budget of NPR 559.18 billion ($3.62 billion) to the Ministry of Finance for 504 plans and programmes aimed at reconstructing and rehabilitating areas affected by the August 26 disaster and other monsoon-related disasters.

According to the Rapid Disaster Needs Assessment (RDNA) report prepared by a joint technical team of the National Planning Commission and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the recent floods are estimated to have caused physical damage worth NPR 274.48 billion, while overall losses and damages have reached NPR 408.28 billion.

The preliminary assessment suggests that more than NPR 723 billion will be required for the reconstruction and recovery of affected infrastructure and assets. Now, the Nepali government has been working on a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment with an extensive assessment of damages.

The council directed the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority to recommend additional budgetary arrangements once details are received for projects whose cost estimates have not yet been determined or which have yet to be prioritised.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah said disaster management efforts had been carried out through coordination among the federal, provincial and local governments, adding that reconstruction and rehabilitation would also proceed through the same mechanism.

The meeting expressed sorrow over the loss of lives and property caused by the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli floods and other monsoon-related disasters. It paid tribute to those who lost their lives and expressed condolences to their bereaved families.

The council also thanked security personnel, elected representatives, civil servants, private-sector organisations, volunteers and media personnel involved in search, rescue, relief and rehabilitation operations, as well as donor countries and development partners that assisted during the crisis.