Nepal is reeling from the effects of one of the worst flash floods in the country in recent years. With the death toll crossing 1,100 already, the country is trying to rebuild its way to normalcy, a difficult path at the moment. Amid the rescue and restoration efforts, Prime Minister Balen Shah’s demands for climate compensation from India, China and the US have caught the attention of many.
Flash floods, triggered by a collapse or avalanche of ice and rock near the Nepal-Tibet border, entered Rasuwa through the Bhotekoshi River and devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal on August 26.
What did the Balen Shah say?
Balen Shah has asked the three countries for compensation instead of humanitarian aid, calling for responsibility for climate change. Nepal is stepping up its push for compensation, with Kathmandu planning to send Prime Minister Balendra ‘Balen’ Shah to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to make the case.
Meanwhile, at a briefing to the House of Representatives about the devastation caused by the floods, Shah said, “This incident shows the increasing risk the people of the mountain region have to bear with the occurrence of climate change.”
“There is a global contribution behind climate change. And the responsibility to manage and minimise its effects also rests on the global community,” the prime minister pointed out.
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Shah said, “In this hour of crisis, we have accepted the reality that the country’s leadership must provide courage, support and reassurance, not tears.” Shah said that the disaster has not only devastated the three districts, Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, but it “is a shared blow to the heart of the entire country.”
“We have no alternative but to fight with determination and courage, and we are fighting,” the prime minister said.
Speaking about the international assistance, Shah said, “There is no question about not accepting international assistance at this magnitude of crisis, and we have coordinated with the international community to receive support and assistance since the beginning.”
How much compensation has Nepal collected?
There were reports of Nepal denying international assistance; the government later denied refusing international help. “Until now, friendly countries including India, Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, USA, Australia, Qatar, Switzerland, UK, Japan and Singapore among others have extended assistance for the flood-affected areas,” the prime minister said.
He said that over NPR 7 billion has been collected in the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund till Wednesday afternoon. “Similarly, international development partners such as Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the European Union and the United Nations have also pledged to provide assistance,” he said.
Expert teams from India, China and S Korea are being mobilised for rescue operations in the hydropower sites, he informed the house.
Providing details about the rescue and relief operations, PM Shah said that the security agencies have been deployed to carry out rescue and relief operations in the affected areas, while the local authorities have warned people to move to safer areas.
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He said that the army and private helicopters are engaged in the rescue and evacuation process.
The government has approved financial assistance for the families of the victims even as the affected areas have been declared crisis-hit for three months, said PM Shah. Shah informed the house that the local and provincial authorities are working together to restore electricity, water supply and transport links.
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