UN Seeks Nearly $50 Million to Help 84,270 People Affected by Nepal Floods
Nepal Police chief Dan Bahadur Karki visits a flood-affected area in Nepal. Photo: Nepal Police
The United Nations and its humanitarian partners launched a $49.6 million appeal Friday to provide emergency assistance to more than 84,000 people affected by catastrophic floods in Nepal.
A glacier collapse on Aug. 26 along the border between Nepal and the Tibet Autonomous Region of China triggered flooding that has killed more than 1,250 people and left thousands missing, according to the U.N. office in Nepal.
The U.N.’s local humanitarian team estimates that 84,270 people, or 19,284 households, were affected by the disaster.
The floods damaged or destroyed roads, schools, power grids and water systems across the northern Nepalese districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. Many survivors lost both their homes and family members.
Working alongside Nepal’s emergency response operations, the U.N. plans to provide cash assistance, cold-weather shelter materials, portable solar power units, water purification systems and food. Mobile clinics will provide medical treatment and nutritional support.
The appeal also seeks to help families purchase essential goods, revive local economies, restore electricity, prevent disease outbreaks and prepare for the approaching winter.
“Families have lost everything: their loved ones, their homes, their livelihoods, swept away in minutes,” said Lila Pieters Yahia, the U.N. resident coordinator in Nepal. “Working under the government’s leadership, this appeal will get cash, shelter, health care, clean water, and protection to the hardest-to-reach communities before winter closes in.”
Agriculture accounts for 24% of Nepal’s gross domestic product, with about half of that coming from livestock, according to the World Bank. Aid teams will also help residents protect surviving livestock and keep them safe and alive.
UNICEF Sends Relief Supplies
The U.N. Children’s Fund and other agencies have already begun supporting rescue and relief operations.
A flight supported by UNICEF and the European Union carrying 84 metric tons of humanitarian supplies landed Friday in Kathmandu, UNICEF said. The shipment includes diarrhea treatment kits, water tanks, hygiene kits, water treatment materials, winter clothing and learning materials.
UNICEF said the shipment will support hundreds of thousands of people.
“This shipment will help us deliver urgently needed support and reach children and families with services that protect their health, well-being, and future,” said Alice Akunga, UNICEF’s representative in Nepal.
More than a week after flash floods struck the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli river basin, at least 22,000 children urgently need safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene support, UNICEF said Thursday.
UNICEF estimates that at least 19 schools have been damaged, including eight that were completely destroyed and eight that were partially destroyed. More than 10,000 school-age children need immediate psychosocial support and access to safe learning spaces, UNICEF said.
The damage to water and sanitation infrastructure has also created urgent challenges for affected communities. As access improves, UNICEF plans to scale up emergency water supplies, household water treatment, water-quality monitoring, temporary sanitation and handwashing facilities, and essential hygiene and menstrual hygiene supplies in communities and holding centers.