Nepal PM Balen Shah Thanks India, China for Flood Aid
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Summarized by AI; it may make mistakes. Check important info
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah has thanked India and China for swiftly sending emergency aid, technical teams and rescue support after devastating floods struck the country on August 26.
Shah made the remarks in Parliament as rescue and recovery operations continued in some of the worst-hit areas along the Nepal-China border.
India, China Step Up Rescue Efforts
India has supplied relief material to flood-hit Nepal, with the Indian Air Force carrying out multiple sorties to transport emergency supplies. India has also offered specialised search and rescue assistance, with teams involved in operations around hydropower tunnels and forensic work linked to casualties and missing people.
China has been conducting rescue and recovery operations on its side of the border. Beijing has also reopened the damaged G216 highway leading to the Gyirong border crossing, enabling heavy machinery and specialist rescue equipment to reach affected areas.
The floods caused extensive damage to roads, bridges, settlements and hydropower infrastructure in Nepal and parts of Tibet.
Death Toll Crosses 1,100
The August 26 disaster has become one of Nepal’s largest recent humanitarian emergencies. The latest reports cited by Moneycontrol put the death toll at more than 1,100, while thousands remain missing.
The floods followed a glacial collapse that sent a massive surge of water, ice, rocks and debris through river valleys along the Nepal-China border.
Rescue teams are still searching for survivors and missing people, while forensic teams are working to identify recovered bodies.
For Kathmandu, the immediate focus remains rescue and relief. At the same time, the government’s push for climate compensation is turning the disaster into a broader diplomatic and financial issue involving some of the world’s biggest economies.
Nepal Seeks ‘Climate Compensation’
Shah’s expression of gratitude comes shortly after Nepal’s Foreign Affairs Minister Shisir Khanal called for a different approach to disaster assistance.
Khanal has argued that Nepal contributes very little to global greenhouse gas emissions but faces severe consequences from climate change, particularly in the Himalayan region. He said Kathmandu wanted to frame support as an issue of climate justice and compensation rather than charity.
Nepal has identified India, China and the United States among the major emitters it believes should bear responsibility for the climate-related losses faced by vulnerable countries.
The government’s position has emerged alongside its continued acceptance of emergency assistance from foreign governments and international organisations.
