Nepal Braces for Renewed Flooding Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations

POLICY WIRE — Kathmandu, Nepal — Authorities in Nepal have issued new flood alerts, urging residents in flood-affected districts to stay vigilant as water levels rise in the Bhotekoshi River. This comes as rescue efforts continue in areas devastated by recent flash floods.

Early Sunday, flood warning messages were sent to residents’ phones. Rescue crews are working to clear a major highway connecting Kathmandu to one of the hardest-hit areas by Wednesday’s floods, which have killed at least 760 people and left over 3,000 missing in Nepal and Tibet.

In Dhading, one of the worst-affected regions, some residents have started returning to their homes to salvage what they can. Many are finding their houses in ruins, with walls washed away by the floods. At a key power plant severely damaged by the floods, workers began inspecting the facilities to assess the destruction.

The death toll in Nepal has risen to 752, with 2,502 people still missing. Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 missing on their side of the border. The missing include hundreds of people from over a dozen countries who were in the region for work, tourism, or pilgrimage.

Nepal’s foreign minister has called for a global response to climate change, noting that Nepal, despite contributing only 0.1 percent to global emissions, is disproportionately affected by its impacts. Scientists suggest that while it is too early to directly link global warming to this specific disaster, rising Earth temperatures due to human activities increase the likelihood of such events, particularly in the rapidly warming Himalayan region.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim announced that his country will send a search-and-rescue team to Nepal to assist with relief efforts and help evacuate affected Malaysians. Malaysia has also pledged $1 million in financial aid to Nepal.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)