KATHMANDU — Nepal will receive US$20 million from the United Nations’ climate loss and damage fund to help recover from the devastating August flood along its border with China’s Tibet region, the government said late on Thursday.
The Aug 26 flood killed about 1,500 people, while more than 5,000 remain missing. Official figures show that around 60,000 people from 15,000 families were affected, with damage to roads, bridges, schools and 13 hydropower plants estimated at about US$2.7 billion.
Early estimates indicate that reconstruction costs could exceed US$4.7 billion. The UN assistance represents less than 1 per cent of Nepal’s total recovery needs.
The funds will come from the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), established to help countries address severe damage caused by climate-related disasters. Nepal had sought the assistance in a letter to the fund less than a week after the flood.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah, addressing the United Nations for the first time in September, described the disaster as a warning to the world. He blamed climate change for the flood, despite Nepal contributing negligibly to global greenhouse gas emissions.