KATHMANDU: The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has decided to intensify and streamline search and rescue operations for those missing in the devastating flash floods that struck Rasuwagadhi, Rasuwa, on early Tuesday morning.
Chaired by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, the Council met at the Prime Minister’s residence in Baluwatar to assess the situation, review the extent of the damage, and discuss immediate response measures. The flood, which swept through Gosainkunda Rural Municipality-2, has left several nationals and foreigners unaccounted for, prompting urgent government action.
The meeting issued directives to relevant agencies to make rescue operations more effective and coordinated. It also acknowledged the efforts of security personnel and local communities who are working in dangerous conditions, expressing gratitude for their bravery and extending condolences to the families of those who lost their lives.
With the Nepal-China Friendship Bridge at Rasuwagadhi—known as the Miteri Bridge—completely washed away by the flood, the Council resolved to coordinate with China via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to ensure the continued operation of the Kerung border crossing. It also emphasized the need to explore and prepare alternative border points, such as the Korala checkpoint in Mustang.
The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport has been instructed to promptly restore damaged roads and facilitate alternate routes. Additionally, the ministries responsible for customs, immigration, and hydropower have been directed to repair affected infrastructure without delay.
The Ministry of Home Affairs will arrange immediate relief to the families of the deceased and missing as per existing laws. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health and Population will ensure free treatment for the injured.
The Council has also instructed the Ministry of Finance to assist in facilitating insurance coverage for losses suffered by businesses, including damage to containers, vehicles, and other assets stranded or destroyed in the disaster.
Emphasizing the need to learn from the disaster, the Council directed all concerned bodies to study the cause of the flood—believed to have originated from a glacial collapse in Tibet—and to work with Chinese authorities on forecasting and preparedness.
The Council warned that above-average rainfall is expected this year and called for a heightened state of readiness across all disaster management bodies.
Returning from an on-site inspection in Rasuwagadhi earlier in the day, Prime Minister Oli described the disaster as “beyond forecast and imagination.”
He revealed that he had requested immediate support from the Chinese Ambassador to Nepal to construct a bailey bridge to restore the damaged border transit route and urged preparation for the systematic use of alternative trade corridors.
Comment