The United Nations on Friday appealed for nearly $50 million to help more than 84,000 people affected by catastrophic flooding in Nepal, warning that winter was fast approaching.
The August 26 floods along the China-Nepal border, triggered by a glacial mountain collapse, killed more than 1,300 people and left more than 5,600 missing across the two 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 mountain districts, destroying roads, bridges and hydropower dams and leaving some communities near the epicentre cut off.
The UN and its partners said the appeal would fund cash assistance, food, shelter, clean water, healthcare and other life-saving support for the worst-hit communities.
“Families whose homes are gone need durable shelter in weeks, not months,” the appeal said.
The UN also warned of growing public health risks in displacement centres, where authorities are already monitoring cases of fever and diarrhoea.
“Human remains and thousands of dead livestock still lie in the debris, raising the risk of communicable disease outbreaks,” it said.
A preliminary UN assessment estimated that building damage from the floods in Nepal alone had reached $158 million, warning that the overall cost — including damage to roads, bridges and farmland, as well as humanitarian needs — would be considerably higher.
The Nepalese government has said reconstruction could cost “billions” of dollars.
AFP
