Nepal floods cost $2.56b, destroy 7,500 homes

Chief of Nepal’s disaster authority said on Friday the country’s catastrophic floods destroyed property, housing, and infrastructure worth at least $2.56 billion (387.5 billion Nepalese rupees).

Dharma Raj Upreti, the chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), added that the country will require around $52.6 million during the initial four months of early recovery to reconstruct roads, set up temporary shelters, deliver drinking water, and restore electricity.

Upreti clarified that they would conduct a comprehensive evaluation shortly, adding, “These are estimated amounts. We have calculated this in coordination with different concerned agencies and departments.”

On Thursday, he noted that the disaster completely destroyed at least 7,500 homes, meaning Nepal must reconstruct around 20,000 houses across the flood-stricken regions.

Earlier, on 26 August, a collapsing glacier unleashed a torrent of ice, rock, and mud down the Trishuli River along Nepal’s border with China. This deluge obliterated entire towns and villages, claimed the lives of more than 1,250 people, left over 4,200 individuals missing, and displaced thousands of residents.

Source: Reuters (adapted)