KATHMANDU: The United Nations and humanitarian partners have launched a $49.6 million emergency appeal to provide life-saving assistance to people affected by the catastrophic floods and landslides in northern Nepal.
The four-month response plan aims to reach more than 84,000 people and support the government-led humanitarian response under the overall leadership of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).
According to UN Nepal, the response plan focuses on critical gaps identified by the government and seeks to prevent further hardship and disease outbreaks, particularly as winter approaches in high-altitude Himalayan communities.
The disaster, triggered on August 26, has claimed more than 1,250 lives, left thousands missing and displaced entire villages in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts.
The floods and landslides have also caused extensive damage to critical infrastructure, cutting transport links, disrupting electricity networks and damaging local water supply and sanitation systems. Many affected communities remain isolated and without access to basic necessities.
Under the joint response plan, cash assistance will be provided in areas where local markets remain operational, enabling affected families to purchase essential goods while supporting local economies.
Humanitarian agencies will also provide cold-weather shelter materials and portable solar power units to help displaced communities prepare for winter and restore basic lighting and electricity in areas without grid access.
The response will include the repair of damaged water networks, deployment of emergency water-purification systems and distribution of hygiene supplies to reduce the risk of waterborne diseases.
Emergency mobile clinics will provide medical treatment and nutrition support, while protection teams will work to reunite children separated from their families.
Aid agencies will also distribute emergency food supplies and support the management of surviving livestock to help protect rural livelihoods.
“Families have lost everything: their loved ones, their homes, their livelihoods, swept away in minutes,” said Lila Pieters Yahia, UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal.
“Working under the government’s leadership, this appeal will get cash, shelter, health care, clean water and protection to the hardest-to-reach communities before winter closes in,” she added.
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