Nearly three weeks after devastating flash floods swept along the\nBhotekoshi-Trishuli river system in Nepal near the Chinese border, the\nHimalayan nation has begun shifting from search and rescue operations\ntowards recovery and reconstruction efforts.<\/p>\n
Nepalese authorities said at least 1,386 bodies have been recovered\nacross five affected districts, while more than 5,130 people remain\nlisted as missing. The latter figure includes 587 foreign nationals and\naround 900 workers employed at hydropower tunnels and other energy\nfacilities.<\/p>\n
The floods, which authorities say were triggered by a glacier\ncollapse, destroyed a number of settlements and swept away more than a\ndozen hydropower facilities. As search operations continue in flooded\ntunnels and along the muddy riverbanks, families of the victims are\ngrowing increasingly desperate for news of loved ones still missing.<\/p>\n
Villages vanished within minutes<\/p>\n
The scale of the loss of life is starkly visible in the upper reaches\nof the river, where entire settlements vanished within minutes. In many\nplaces, destroyed roads and bridges have cut off access, forcing rescue\nand recovery teams to rely on helicopters to deliver essential\nsupplies.<\/p>\n
Niranjan Paudyal, a resident of Sole village in Nepal\u2019s Nuwakot\ndistrict who lost his parents, uncle, aunt and sister in the flash\nfloods, said the disaster even robbed him of the chance to bury his\nfamily members.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe spent days combing through the debris, hoping to find traces of\nmy parents and my missing family,\u201d he told DW. \u201cUnfortunately, the\ndisaster left us no choice but to hold final rites without their\nbodies.\u201d<\/p>\n
Public land in Uttargaya Rural Municipality in Rasuwa district has\nlargely been swept away by the floods and is unsafe to use.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is not even any land left after the floods to hold final rites\nfor those who lost their lives,\u201d said the municipality\u2019s vice-chair,\nChameli Gurung, told DW. \u201cRelatives have to travel to Pashupati Aryaghat\nin Kathmandu to perform the last rites.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Uttargaya alone, at least 618 homes were swept away or buried, and\n877 people remain missing. Only 12 bodies have been recovered. Gurung\nsaid local authorities are exploring the possibility of leasing private\nland to shelter displaced families before winter arrives.<\/p>\n
Nepal\u2019s Communications Minister Bikram Timilsina told DW that\naffected residents are being resettled near their original homes by\nsecuring the nearest public or private land and providing financial\nassistance based on household size until they can stand on their own\nfeet.<\/p>\n
Nepal faces a colossal recovery bill<\/p>\n
As emergency relief efforts begin to stabilise, Nepal faces an\nenormous financial burden. An initial rapid damage and needs assessment\nplaced total reconstruction requirements at around 723.3 billion\nNepalese rupees (approximately IDR 84.3 trillion), according to local\nmedia reports.<\/p>\n
The assessment estimated that almost two-thirds of the funds would be\nneeded to restore energy and transport networks as well as education\nfacilities.<\/p>\n
Hydropower, which supplies almost all of Nepal\u2019s electricity needs,\nhas become a fast-growing source of export revenue for the country. The\nflood damage has deepened concerns about how Nepal will finance its\nrecovery.<\/p>\n
On Monday (14\/09), India approved electricity exports to Nepal for 18\nhours a day until at least 31 December, according to reports. \u201cWe will\ntry to utilise all our domestic resources and seek international support\nto close the funding gap,\u201d Timilsina told DW.<\/p>\n
Nepal wants to rebuild back stronger<\/p>\n
Nepal has formally requested assistance from the Loss and Damage Fund\nbacked by the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).\nHowever, the fund, established to help countries cope with the impacts\nof climate change, has yet to begin distributing its limited\nresources.<\/p>\n
Nepal is seeking to make reconstruction part of a broader economic\nrecovery strategy, with an emphasis on climate-resilient infrastructure\nrather than merely replacing what has been destroyed.<\/p>\n
\u201cGiven our previous experience in post-disaster management, what\nmatters most is how effectively we can use the funds to restore lives\nand livelihoods and build disaster-resilient infrastructure,\u201d Roshee\nLamichhane, a professor at Kathmandu University, told DW.<\/p>\n
Calls for climate justice<\/p>\n
Beyond recovery funding, Nepal has been voicing a broader climate\njustice argument on the international stage.<\/p>\n
Nepal\u2019s Prime Minister Balendra Shah is scheduled to address the UN\nGeneral Assembly in New York on 24 September, where he is expected to\ncall for global accountability in mitigating climate impacts.<\/p>\n
Although it contributes less than 0.1% of global greenhouse gas\nemissions, Nepal remains highly vulnerable to disasters driven by\nclimate change.<\/p>\n
\u201cReconstruction will be leveraged as an opportunity to build\ninfrastructure that is resilient to climate change,\u201d said Maheshwar\nDhakal, who heads the Climate Change Management Division at Nepal\u2019s\nMinistry of Forests and Environment. \u201cWe will develop guidelines with\nthe motto of \u2018tomorrow for a better future\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n
Climate scientists caution against attributing any single extreme\nevent directly to global warming without in-depth study, but they agree\nthat rising temperatures are accelerating glacier melt across the\nHimalayas.<\/p>\n
Manjeet Dhakal, Director of Climate Analytics South Asia, said the\nscale of the disaster highlights the growing consequences of rising\nglobal temperatures and gives Nepal a chance to advocate for cuts in\nglobal carbon emissions on the international stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many more disasters must we wait for before there is a global\nresponse to address the impacts of climate change?\u201d he asked, adding\nthat developed nations and other countries must take on greater\nresponsibility.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/thousands-still-missing-as-flood-recovery-begins-in-nepal-1789455314", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }