The United Nations has appealed for nearly $50 million to support more than 84,000 people affected by catastrophic flooding in Nepal, warning that the approaching winter is putting additional pressure on relief efforts.
The August 26 floods along the China-Nepal border were triggered by a glacial mountain collapse, killing more than 1,300 people and leaving more than 5,600 missing across both countries.
“Time is against them,” the UN office in Nepal said.
“For those who survived, the flood has taken almost everything that made daily life possible,” it added.
The floods tore through mountainous districts, destroying roads, bridges and hydropower dams and leaving communities near the epicentre cut off.
“UN Nepal and partners are appealing for nearly $50 million to deliver cash, food, shelter, clean water, healthcare and other life-saving assistance to the most devastated communities,” the UN said.
The UN warned that the disaster had also created significant public health risks, with health authorities monitoring cases of fever and diarrhoea in displacement centres.
“Human remains and thousands of dead livestock still lie in the debris, raising the risk of communicable disease outbreaks,” the appeal said.
The organisation said families who lost their homes urgently needed durable shelter as winter approached.
“Families whose homes are gone need durable shelter in weeks, not months,” the appeal said.
A preliminary UN assessment estimated that building damage from the floods in Nepal alone had reached $158 million, while the total cost is expected to be significantly higher once damage to roads, bridges and agricultural land, as well as humanitarian costs, is included.
Nepal has estimated that the overall reconstruction bill could run into “billions” of dollars.
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