KATHMANDU, Sept 5: The Bhotekoshi flood has left behind more than a trail of destruction. It has triggered a chain of crises that is testing not only Nepal’s disaster-response capacity but also the state’s ability to respond to the needs of those left struggling in the aftermath of a major disaster.
While the disaster has created a massive humanitarian crisis, survivors are now facing a different kind of ordeal. The death toll has continued to rise since the day of the disaster, while more than 4,000 people remain unaccounted for.
The flood has directly or indirectly affected around 1.6 million people, including some 6,900 students.
Preliminary data from the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction (DUDBC) show that 7,570 private houses and buildings have been affected. Nuwakot suffered the highest damage, with 3,977 houses affected, followed by Rasuwa with 1,779, Dhading with 1,451, Gorkha with 263 and Chitwan with 100.
Satellite mapping has identified another 4,689 buildings along the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli corridor at high risk from floods and landslides, suggesting that the scale of the damage may not yet be fully known.
As many as 3,453 people who have been rendered completely homeless are currently staying in various holding centers. The government has planned to relocate more than 3,450 affected people to temporary shelters within three weeks. However, more than a week after the disaster, questions remain over how quickly the process can move forward.
Overall, more than 1,188 families have been displaced. Galchhi Rural Municipality in Dhading alone has reported the complete displacement of 120 families. Preliminary estimates put the damage to private houses at around Rs 12 billion, underscoring the sheer scale of the disaster.
A health crisis waiting to unfold
Food shortages and contaminated water are emerging as one of the least discussed but potentially most dangerous consequences of the disaster.
Contaminated water and spoiled food can lead to cholera, severe dehydration and potentially death. Water contaminated with sewage also increases the risk of diarrhea and dysentery.
Doctors say typhoid, caused by the Salmonella Typhus, can result in high fever and serious intestinal complications, while jaundice caused by contaminated water and unsafe food can lead to liver infection.
Children, pregnant women and senior citizens are particularly vulnerable.
According to doctors, food shortages can stunt children’s growth and cause weight loss. Pregnant women who do not receive adequate nutrition face an increased risk of anemia and giving birth to low-birth-weight babies, while elderly people are more vulnerable to rapid physical weakness and infections.
Nepal ranked 33rd most fragile state in the world
Those involved in rescue, cleanup and sanitation efforts also face increased health risks because of the handling of bodies and dead livestock.
Authorities also need to remain vigilant to ensure that shortages of medicines and surgical supplies do not affect the treatment of the injured.
Meanwhile, local representatives say many survivors who have lost relatives, witnessed destruction firsthand or escaped the disaster are showing signs of severe psychological trauma. They will require long-term psychosocial counseling and support.
Hydropower hit hard
The hydropower sector has suffered perhaps the most significant and long-lasting economic impact.
According to information presented by Prime Minister Balen Shah in Parliament, eight operational hydropower projects with a combined capacity of 281 MW and four projects under construction with a combined capacity of 388 MW have been damaged. Some may be repairable, but even those repairs are expected to require substantial investment.
Overall, 431.1 MW of electricity generation has already been disrupted, with the impact extending beyond domestic power supply to Nepal’s international electricity trade.
The damage to the Chilime and Trishuli hydropower projects, which were contracted to supply electricity to Bangladesh, means Nepal has been unable to export 40 MW of electricity generated by those projects, according to the Nepal Electricity Authority.
Nepal has received approval to export around 1,200 MW of electricity to India and Bangladesh. The disruption is therefore expected to affect the country’s foreign exchange earnings as well.
Roads and bridges cut off
The disaster has also inflicted extensive damage on transport infrastructure.
According to the Department of Roads, 22 concrete bridges between Rasuwagadhi and Galchhi have been washed away. The prime minister told Parliament that large sections of the Galchhi-Betrawati-Rasuwagadhi road and the Prithvi Highway have been damaged, along with 48 suspension bridges and 31 motorable bridges.
The destruction has not only isolated communities but also disrupted the movement of goods, adding another layer to the crisis.
Black markets emerge amid supply disruption
Perhaps the most worrying but least-monitored consequence of the disaster is unfolding in the marketplace.
With sections of the roads connecting Kathmandu to Prithvi Highway and Rasuwa blocked, the transportation of goods has been severely disrupted. Supplies of food, vegetables and fruits to markets in Kathmandu and elsewhere have reportedly fallen by nearly half.
Some large importers and wholesalers are allegedly taking advantage of the disruption by creating artificial shortages and sharply raising the prices of essential goods.
Black-market activities have also reportedly begun, with some traders citing transportation disruptions as a pretext to hoard cooking gas and petroleum products and sell them at inflated prices.
The Department of Commerce, Supplies and Consumer Protection has warned businesses and activated its toll-free complaint number, 1136. However, with the government’s attention largely focused on rescue and relief operations, effective market monitoring remains a challenge.
The next disaster may already be taking shape
Four days after the Bhotekoshi crossed its peak level, a landslide occurred at Krishnabhir, offering a warning of another potential crisis.
The incident has raised concerns that erosion along riverbanks and at the base of hills could trigger larger landslides in the future. The accumulation of debris could also force rivers to change course toward settlements and markets.
The continuing risk of glacial lake outburst floods on both the Nepal and Tibet sides further adds to the threat. Strengthening early-warning systems has therefore become increasingly urgent.
The agricultural sector has also suffered heavily. Farmland has either been washed away or buried under sand and debris, while significant livestock losses have deprived farmers of their main sources of income.
Repeated closures of the Tatopani and Rasuwagadhi borders, key routes for Nepal-China trade, have also brought import and export activities to a standstill. There are growing concerns that prolonged disruption could force local businesses to shut down or relocate.
Analysts say the lack of coordination among the three tiers of government could make it difficult to relocate displaced villages and settlements to safer areas.
The challenge of mobilizing the huge resources needed for reconstruction and recovery is equally daunting.
The question is no longer simply whether another flood will strike. It is whether the state and society will be better prepared when the next disaster comes.
Government announces business recovery package
Amid the mounting economic losses, the government has taken steps to provide some relief to businesses affected by the disaster.
A Cabinet meeting on Thursday approved a business recovery package proposed by the Ministry of Finance.
Under the package, commercial vehicles and transportation equipment that have been destroyed beyond repair or washed away by the flood will have their registration canceled, and businesses will be allowed to re-import similar vehicles and equipment without paying customs duties at the point of entry.
Similarly, customs duties will be fully waived when plants, machinery, equipment and other tools destroyed beyond repair by the flood are re-imported, provided the quantity does not exceed the amount destroyed.
The government has also introduced a provision allowing businesses to adjust customs duties already paid on goods that were destroyed by the August 26 flood before reaching their destination. Such businesses can import similar goods through any customs office within six months and have the previously paid duties adjusted.
The package may offer some relief to businesses along the Bhotekoshi corridor, which have suffered heavy losses in sectors ranging from hydropower to trade and transportation.
But with bridges washed away, roads blocked and entire sections of infrastructure damaged, one question remains: how quickly can the corridor truly return to normalcy?
