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At least 1,294 people have died in last week’s catastrophic floods in Nepal, while 5,053 others remain missing, according to the country’s disaster management agency.
The updated toll comes as the United Nations and its humanitarian partners launched a $49.6 million flash appeal on Friday to provide emergency assistance to more than 84,000 people affected by the disaster.
On August 26, a glacier on the border between Nepal and China’s Tibet Autonomous Region collapsed, triggering devastating floods across parts of northern Nepal.
The UN’s humanitarian team in Nepal estimates that 84,270 people, or 19,284 households, have been affected by the floods.
Across Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts in northern Nepal, critical infrastructure, including roads, schools, power grids and water systems, has been damaged or destroyed. Many survivors have also lost their homes and family members.
Working with Nepal’s emergency response authorities, the UN aims to help affected families purchase essential goods, revive local economies, restore electricity, prevent disease outbreaks and prepare for the approaching winter.
Humanitarian agencies will provide direct cash assistance, cold-weather shelter materials, portable solar power units, water purification systems and food aid. Emergency mobile clinics will also provide medical treatment and nutritional support.
“Families have lost everything: their loved ones, their homes, their livelihoods, swept away in minutes,” said Lila Pieters Yahia, the UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal.
“Working under the Government’s leadership, this appeal will get cash, shelter, healthcare, clean water and protection to the hardest-to-reach communities before winter closes in,” she added.
Agriculture accounts for 24 per cent of Nepal’s gross domestic product, with livestock contributing about half of the sector’s output, according to the World Bank. As part of the response, aid teams will also help residents keep surviving livestock alive and safe.
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other UN agencies have already begun supporting emergency responders searching for survivors and assisting affected communities.
On Friday, a flight supported by UNICEF and the European Union carrying 84 metric tonnes of humanitarian supplies landed in the capital Kathmandu.
The supplies include diarrhoea treatment kits, water tanks, hygiene kits, water-treatment supplies, winter clothing and learning materials. UNICEF says the items will support hundreds of thousands of people.
“This shipment will help us deliver urgently needed support and reach children and families with services that protect their health, wellbeing and future,” said Alice Akunga, UNICEF Representative in Nepal.
Humanitarian partners have already mobilised and transported relief supplies to some of the worst-hit areas, focusing on disease prevention and the repair of essential infrastructure.
In the days since the floods, UNICEF has distributed emergency supplies and helped establish child-friendly spaces equipped with recreational materials for children affected by the disaster.
“Continued support is essential to help children recover, stay healthy, return to learning, and rebuild their lives in the weeks and months ahead,” Akunga said.
“As the scale of the disaster is enormous, the needs remain significant and every day matters,” she added.