KATHMANDU, Sept 1: The Government of Nepal has requested a special decision from the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage to provide immediate assistance to address the losses and damages caused by the devastating floods in the Bhotekoshi River.
The international fund provides financial support to developing and climate-vulnerable countries to address economic and non-economic losses and damages caused by climate-related disasters such as floods, droughts and glacier melt.
Minister for Finance Swarnim Wagle and Minister for Agriculture, Forests and Environment Geeta Chaudhary jointly wrote to the co-chairs of the Board of the Fund on Monday, urging them to respond rapidly, directly and effectively in accordance with the Fund’s Governing Instrument, given the exceptional nature and severity of the disaster in Nepal.
The flash flood that struck the Bhote Koshi River basin last Wednesday caused significant loss of life and property, displaced people and destroyed homes and critical infrastructure, according to the government. The disaster also severely disrupted essential services, livelihoods, markets, transportation and communication connectivity.
In their letter to the co-chairs, the ministers said the Bhotekoshi disaster was different from an ordinary flood event. The government described it as a disaster affecting a “fragile transboundary mountain river system,” with consequences extending far beyond the immediate area hit by the floods.
Loss and Damage Fund to consider $21.6m aid for Nepal
Search, rescue, relief and preliminary damage assessment operations are still underway, the government said. The full extent of the economic and non-economic losses and damages has yet to be determined. Preliminary information, however, indicates that the scale of the losses is extensive and has exceeded the government’s immediate response capacity, according to the letter.
The government also highlighted Nepal’s status as a least developed and highly climate-vulnerable mountainous country. Although Nepal contributes negligibly to global greenhouse gas emissions, it continues to face disproportionate and escalating impacts of climate change, it said.
The Bhotekoshi floods have demonstrated how extreme events in the Himalayan region can rapidly trigger cascading and increasingly complex disasters from high mountain areas to densely populated downstream settlements, according to the government.
The letter also states that such disasters can undermine Nepal’s development gains and have direct and indirect impacts on water, food, energy, health, infrastructure, ecosystems and human security.
It is against this backdrop that the government has sought a special decision from the Fund’s Board. Nepal has emphasized the need for a rapid, direct and effective response from the international financing mechanism.
“Time is of the essence,” the government said in its appeal, stressing that immediate assistance would help protect affected populations, restore essential services and prevent further humanitarian suffering.
Dr Maheshwor Dhakal, spokesperson for the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Environment and chief of the Climate Change Management Division under the ministry, said the government had not specified a particular amount of funding in the letter.
“An amount has not been mentioned in the letter. We have requested the Fund to take a special decision so that immediate assistance can be provided,” Dhakal said.
The government has also urged the Fund to view the disaster as an opportunity to translate international solidarity into concrete action. Nepal said the Fund’s timely response would demonstrate that it can provide effective assistance when climate-vulnerable countries and communities face losses and damages beyond their capacity and resources to address on their own.
Nepal has assured the Fund’s Secretariat that it is ready to provide all necessary information and documentation. These include preliminary damage assessments, official government data, satellite information and sector-wise estimates of losses and damages, according to the letter.
The government has also requested the immediate designation of a Secretariat focal point to coordinate with relevant Nepali authorities.
Nepal has appealed to the Co-Chairs to mobilize an immediate response and provide assistance at the earliest stage of the disaster. Such support, the government said, would not only provide immediate relief to affected communities but also help restore essential services and prevent further losses.
The government believes that an early and rapid response from the Fund to the Bhotekoshi disaster could set an important precedent, demonstrating that the Loss and Damage Fund can respond with humanity, speed, flexibility and solidarity when climate-vulnerable countries face losses and damages beyond their capacity to address alone.
