Nepal says it will receive $20 million in climate fund aid after deadly flood
The government-announced support would cover less than 1% of estimated reconstruction costs after the August disaster, Reuters reported.
Nepal’s government said on 22 October that it would receive $20 million from the UN’s Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage after the 26 August flood along its border with China’s Tibet region, Reuters reported. The sum would cover less than 1% of estimated reconstruction costs, underscoring the scale of the recovery facing affected communities.
The Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Environment said the support was intended to help address severe damage from a climate-related disaster, according to Reuters. Nepal requested assistance from the fund in a letter sent less than a week after the flood.
How the funding compares with recovery costs
Early official estimates put reconstruction costs above $4.7 billion, Reuters reported. The agency also put infrastructure losses at about $2.7 billion, including damage to roads, bridges, schools and hydropower plants. Those losses are part of the wider task of rebuilding services and connections in the flood zone.
UN News put recovery needs at $4.8 billion, equivalent to roughly 10% of Nepal’s gross domestic product. It reported that more than 100 bridges collapsed, while 13 hydropower dams and 23 schools were destroyed. About 2.2 million tonnes of debris and sediment covered affected areas, it said. Jorge Moreira da Silva, the head of UN Project Services, said losing bridges had turned some journeys of a few minutes on foot into trips taking 12 hours.
The $20 million fund support is separate from a $50 million flash appeal for immediate assistance. That appeal had raised $24.5 million when UN News reported on it. The government is preparing a recovery plan with the UN and multilateral development banks, and Nepal is planning a pledging conference, UN News reported.
People affected by the August flood
Reuters reported about 1,500 deaths and more than 5,000 people still missing. Citing official data, it said the flood affected about 60,000 people in 15,000 families. UN News gave a toll of more than 1,500 dead and 5,600 missing, and said about 100,000 people had been affected, including more than 30,000 children. The different reported figures have not been reconciled.
After visiting UN teams in Nepal, Moreira da Silva called the disaster a ‘defining moment’ for the country and the international community. He urged stronger financial commitments for recovery and investment in early warning systems and more resilient infrastructure. In a September UN speech, Prime Minister Balendra Shah blamed climate change for the flood and called it a warning to the world, Reuters reported.
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Sources and context
- Nepal’s deadly glacier flood a ‘defining moment’ for the international communityUN News
- Nepal to get $20 million from climate fund after deadly August floodReuters, republished by The Straits Times
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.