Nepal estimates $4.78bn cost of flood reconstruction

Nepal has estimated that it will require about $4.78 billion to rebuild after a devastating flood triggered by a glacial collapse killed more than 1,400 people and left thousands missing.

The country’s Foreign Ministry disclosed the estimated reconstruction cost on Friday as the government prepared to seek greater international support for recovery efforts and climate adaptation.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lok Bahadur Chhetri said about $57.67 million would be needed for immediate reconstruction and recovery over the next six months, while the bulk of the funds would be required for long-term rebuilding.

“The total estimated requirement for reconstruction is approximately $4.78 billion,” Chhetri told reporters.

The disaster occurred on August 26 when a tsunami-like surge of water swept across communities along the China-Nepal border following a glacial mountain collapse.

Nepalese Prime Minister Balendra Shah is expected to raise the issue at the United Nations General Assembly later this month during his first foreign trip since assuming office.

Foreign Secretary Amrit Bahadur Rai said Shah would use the UN platform to draw international attention to the repeated loss of lives and destruction of property Nepal has suffered as a result of climate change-related disasters.

Nepal, a Himalayan nation of about 30 million people, contributes only a small share of global greenhouse gas emissions but remains highly vulnerable to the effects of a warming climate.

Scientists have warned that rising global temperatures are accelerating glacier melt across the Himalayas, potentially increasing the risk of floods and other mountain disasters. The precise cause of the August collapse, however, remains unclear.

Chhetri said the government was conducting a comprehensive post-disaster needs assessment to establish the full scale of the damage and determine the resources required for recovery and reconstruction.

A preliminary United Nations assessment put damage to buildings alone at $158 million, while warning that the overall losses would be substantially higher once damage to roads, bridges, farmland and humanitarian infrastructure was included.

Rescue operations have continued in areas affected by the disaster, including hydropower tunnels filled with freezing mud.

Three workers were rescued from tunnels several days after the disaster, but no further survivors have been confirmed since a Chinese national was pulled out alive nearly a week after the incident.

The UN has launched a $50 million appeal to support more than 84,000 people affected by the disaster, saying operations were increasingly shifting from search and rescue to relief and recovery, although rescue efforts were continuing.

Nepal’s disaster agency said on Friday that 1,385 bodies had been recovered, while about 5,130 people remained missing.

In neighbouring China, 43 people had died and 519 remained missing, according to state media.

The combined death toll stood at 1,428, with more than 5,649 people missing, including about 800 foreigners comprising tourists and pilgrims.