Nepal will need between $4 billion and $5 billion to recover from the catastrophic flooding that hit the country's border regions this week, Finance Minister Swarnim Waglé told Reuters. The figure is preliminary, as authorities continue to assess the scale of losses and destruction, according to infohub.kz.
Foreign Minister Shishir Khanaal said the country requires foreign assistance in specialized and technical areas where local experts lack experience. This includes rescuing people from tunnels, restoring transport and communication links in areas where bridges have been destroyed, identifying the dead, conducting DNA tests, and long-term storage of bodies. "We have already requested such specialized services and technical assistance in areas where we lack experience and technical knowledge," Khanaal said.
However, Nepal does not yet see the need to bring in foreign teams for regular search-and-rescue operations. According to the minister, local rescuers are handling the task. India and China are expected to provide temporary Bailey bridges to restore transport and communication links. About two dozen bridges have been destroyed in the affected area.
The disaster began after a glacial collapse in the Himalayas on Wednesday. A massive flow of rocks, ice, mud, and debris swept through mountain river systems. On August 26, in the high-altitude Rasuwa district near the Nepal-China border, torrents of water, mud, and rocks washed away homes, roads, bridges, vehicles, hydropower facilities, schools, and hospitals.
More than 600 people have died in the floods in Nepal and China's Tibet region, with over 2,000 still missing. Authorities warn that more bodies may be found. According to Khanaal, hospitals are already overwhelmed with the dead, and there is not enough refrigeration to store them.
In the future, Nepal will need international support to rebuild destroyed infrastructure and rehabilitate affected areas. On the eve, Kazakhstan's Foreign Ministry reported that three female citizens of our country are being searched for in the disaster zone on the Nepal-China border.