Kathmandu [Nepal], September 2 – Prime Minister Balendra Shah has attributed last Wednesday’s devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa to climate change warning that Nepal faces growing disaster risks in the Himalayan region.
Briefing the public on the government’s seven-day progress in search, rescue, relief and rehabilitation, Shah said rising temperatures in the Himalayan region had contributed to the disaster.
He said discussions with experts indicated that the Bhotekoshi flood was among the biggest disasters in the Himalayan region caused by an ice-and-snow avalanche. According to Shah, melting water may have accumulated inside a glacier before a section collapsed from a great height generating enormous energy and triggering a massive flood.
Shah said Nepal must remain more alert in the Himalayan region and raise the issue of climate-induced disasters with the international community.
The government is now shifting its focus from immediate rescue and relief to rehabilitation while providing medical treatment and psychosocial counselling to affected communities.
According to Shah, 11,884 people have been rescued so far while the whereabouts of 3,916 people remain unknown. A total of 292 injured people were admitted to hospitals of whom 182 have been discharged.
The government has recovered 1,050 bodies. Unidentified bodies are being managed while DNA samples and other evidence are being preserved to assist identification.
Shah said Rs 1 billion has been released for flood-affected areas while the Prime Minister Relief Fund has collected Rs 6.36 billion.
International assistance is also continuing, with India providing 68.5 tonnes of relief and rescue materials and sending an 11-member rescue team. Pakistan has pledged 86 tonnes of relief materials, while China has provided Rs 300 million and 50 tonnes of relief supplies.
