Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Aug 29: Nepal has highly praised India’s support to meet the situation arising out of the devastating floods describing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi as “exceptionally generous” as the death toll in the Wednesday’s disaster mounted to 675 with over 2,400 people still “missing” after close to about 3,000 people were rescued from the flood-ravaged areas by the security forces.
The Nepal Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle on Saturday said Mr Modi was “exceptionally generous” in the country’s time of crisis. He said India had indicated that it would extend “very generous assistance” for reconstruction as Nepal begins to assess the enormous damage caused by the disaster. India has already sent relief material and a specialised team to assist with rescue operations.
An ice-rock avalanche following a glacial collapse near the Nepal – Tibet border triggered a torrent of water, mud and debris that swept through central Nepal on Wednesday. Towns and villages were devastated, with homes, vehicles, roads and bridges washed away and hydropower projects also damaged.
Since Wednesday, India has dispatched 57.6 tonnes of relief material to flood-hit parts of Nepal. An 11-member Indian team comprising medical personnel and tunnel rescue experts also arrived in the country after Kathmandu requested assistance.
Wagle said Nepal was approaching the disaster response “in phases” with rescue and immediate relief remaining the first priority. “The immediate priority is to rescue people who can be saved, including those stranded or trapped in hydropower plants,” the finance minister said. He added that the Nepal Army had airlifted 1,930 people so far.
Efforts were also underway to airlift relief supplies to areas including Dhunche, Rasuwa and Syaphru Besi, which had been cut off after roads were damaged. “The next phase will focus on early recovery, including temporary shelters and cash-for-work programmes, followed by the daunting task of reconstruction,” Wagle said.
More than 11,000 security personnel, including over 5,000 Nepal Army personnel, have been mobilised for search and rescue operations.
Asked whether Nepal would seek help from other countries, Wagle said it would, while specifically highlighting India’s support.
“The Government of India and Prime Minister Modi have been exceptionally generous. I was in the government when the 2015 earthquake struck, and I recall the generosity of the Indian government was really noteworthy,” he said.
Wagle also recalled that special supplies had been flown in from New Delhi after floods and said India had indicated that it would provide “very generous assistance for reconstruction.” The Nepal finance minister added that similar support had also been forthcoming from Nepal’s other neighbours.
Nepal’s disaster authority on Saturday sharply revised its figures from the devastating floods, saying 2,426 people are now missing while the number of confirmed deaths has risen to 675. The latest update showed a sharp increase in the number of missing Nepalis, up from 1,924 reported on Friday night. The number of foreign nationals unaccounted for remained unchanged at 517, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.
Nepal’s meteorology department has warned of fresh rainfall and thunderstorms in the flash flood-affected areas on Saturday, threatening to disrupt ongoing rescue and relief operations amid the worsening crisis, according to a media report.
Meanwhile, the Chinese authorities said the threat of a lake formed after a glacier collapse bursting near the Nepal-Tibet border has decreased. Satellite images from Thursday to Saturday morning suggest that water in the lake – straddling the border at the confluence of two rivers – has been slowly flowing through, decreasing the reservoir gradually, the Water Resources Ministry sources said.
According to the Nepal Army’s Public Relations Directorate, 2,465 people have been evacuated so far, including 163 foreigners — 113 Indians, 26 Chinese, 15 South Koreans, four Germans, two each from Italy and the U.S., and one Omani national. As many as 191 workers were evacuated from tunnels of various hydropower projects in Trishuli and Rasuwa, it said.
Nepal needs $4 billion to $5 billion for rebuilding after the devastating flood that struck its border areas this week, Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle said. “This is just an estimate. Loss and damage is being assessed,” he said. More than ₹2.295 billion has been collected for the Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund (PMDRF) by Friday night. The Ministry of Finance said the deposits were made to accounts held at 10 different commercial banks.
Meanwhile, the Nepal police have detained 29 people accused of breaking open a bank safe which was carried away in flood waters miles downstream. These people were accused of breaking open the safe and making off with over Rs 92 lakhs of Nepali currency found inside the safe. The safe was reportedly carried away by floods in the Bhotekoshi area of Rasuwa and was later found along the Trishuli River near Belkhukhola in Galchhi Rural Municipality-4, Dhading.
According to Dhading police, they received information that locals had broken open the safe and taken out the cash inside. A police team was immediately sent to the spot, and an investigation was launched. During preliminary searches, 29 people were detained, and 92,68,505 Nepalese rupees (about Rs 57 lakh) were recovered from their possession, police said.
In another shocking incident, two people were arrested for allegedly stealing gold earrings from the body of a flood victim swept downstream in the Narayani River. The arrests came after a video went viral showing the men removing what appeared to be gold earrings from the body of a woman carried away by the floodwaters.