Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Wednesday said the devastation caused by the Bhotekoshi River floods was due to climate change and the responsibility to "manage and minimise" its effects also rests on the global community.
KATHMANDU — Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Wednesday said the devastation caused by the Bhotekoshi River floods was due to climate change and the responsibility to "manage and minimise" its effects also rests on the global community.
Flash floods, triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border, entered Rasuwa through the Bhotekoshi River and devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal on August 26.
Over 1,200 people have been killed and over 4,800 remain missing in the floods.
Briefing the House of Representatives about the devastation caused by the floods, Shah said, "This incident shows the increasing risk the people of the mountain region have to bear with the occurrence of climate change."
"There is a global contribution behind climate change. And the responsibility to manage and minimise its effects also rests on the global community," the prime minister pointed out.
Shah said, “In this hour of crisis, we have accepted the reality that the country’s leadership must provide courage, support and reassurance, not tears.” Shah said that the disaster has not only devastated the three districts -- Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading -- but it “is a shared blow to the heart of the entire country.”
“We have no alternative but to fight with determination and courage, and we are fighting,” the prime minister said.
Speaking about the international assistance, Shah said, "There is no question about not accepting international assistance at this magnitude of crisis, and we have coordinated with the international community to receive support and assistance since the beginning."
A section of the media earlier reported that Nepal had denied international assistance; however, the government later denied refusing international help.
"Until now, friendly countries including India, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, USA, Australia, Qatar, Switzerland, UK, Japan and Singapore among others have extended assistance for the flood-affected areas," the prime minister said.
He said that over NPR 7 billion has been collected in the Prime Minister's Relief Fund till Wednesday afternoon.
"Similarly, international development partners such as Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the European Union and the United Nations have also pledged to provide assistance," he said.
Expert teams from India, China and S Korea are being mobilised for rescue operations in the hydropower sites, he informed the house.
Providing details about the rescue and relief operations, PM Shah said that the security agencies have been deployed to carry out rescue and relief operations in the affected areas, while the local authorities have warned people to move to safer areas.
He said that the army and private helicopters are engaged in the rescue and evacuation process.
The government has approved financial assistance for the families of the victims even as the affected areas have been declared crisis-hit for three months, said PM Shah.
The government is providing free medical treatment to the injured and arranging food and shelter for people displaced by the floods, he said.
Shah informed the house that the local and provincial authorities are working together to restore electricity, water supply and transport links.
According to Nepal's National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the death toll has reached 1,204 as more bodies were recovered from eight districts affected by the flood, while 4,216 people remain missing a week after the floods devastated towns and villages in the country's northern and central parts.
The security forces have recovered 348 dead bodies from Chitawan district, 217 from Nawalparasi East, 202 from Nawalparasi West, and 155 from Nuwakot. Similarly, 115 bodies were recovered from Rasuwa, 69 from Gorkha, 60 from Dhading and 38 from Tanahu.
Among the missing people, 583 are foreigners. The joint forces of security personnel including Nepal Army have so far rescued 11,993 people using helicopters and land route.
Around 21,314 security personnel have been mobilised for the search and rescue operations.