Kathmandu: The UN and its humanitarian partners have initiated a $49.6 million flash appeal to provide emergency assistance to over 84,000 individuals impacted by the recent devastating floods in Nepal.
According to United Nations, the catastrophe began on August 26 when a glacier on the Nepal-China border collapsed, resulting in floods that have claimed over 1,250 lives and left thousands missing. The UN’s office in Nepal estimates that 84,270 people, or 19,284 households, have been affected by the disaster.
The floods have wreaked havoc across the Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading regions in northern Nepal, damaging essential infrastructure such as roads, schools, power grids, and water systems. Many survivors are now without homes and have lost family members. The UN, in collaboration with Nepali emergency operations, aims to assist affected families by providing essential goods, restoring local economies, and preventing disease outbreaks as winter approaches.
Humanitarian workers are set to deliver direct c
ash assistance, cold-weather shelter materials, portable solar power units, water purification systems, and food aid. Emergency mobile clinics will offer medical treatment and nutritional support. “Families have lost everything: their loved ones, their homes, their livelihoods, swept away in minutes,” said Lila Pieters Yahia, the UN’s Resident Coordinator in Nepal. The appeal seeks to provide cash, shelter, healthcare, clean water, and protection to the hardest-hit areas before winter.
In a country where agriculture constitutes 24% of GDP, with half from livestock, aid teams will also focus on helping locals protect surviving animals. Meanwhile, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and other UN agencies are actively supporting rescue operations. A UNICEF and European Union-supported flight recently delivered 84 metric tonnes of humanitarian supplies to Kathmandu, including diarrhoea treatment kits, water tanks, hygiene kits, water treatment supplies, winter clothing, and learning materials, aimed at supporting hu
ndreds of thousands affected.
“This shipment will help us deliver urgently needed support and reach children and families with services that protect their health, wellbeing, and future,” said Alice Akunga, UNICEF’s representative in Nepal. Humanitarian partners have already mobilized to transport relief items to severely impacted areas, focusing on disease prevention and infrastructure repair.
UNICEF has allocated emergency supplies and established child-friendly spaces for affected children. Ms. Akunga emphasized the importance of continued support to aid children’s recovery, ensure health, facilitate learning, and rebuild lives. “As the scale of the disaster is enormous, the needs remain significant and every day matters,” she added.