- PM Balendra Shah defended the flood response, confirming 1,114 deaths and nearly 4,000 missing while highlighting the rescue of over 11,000 people.
- Shah denied delaying foreign aid, stating specialists from India, China, and the U.S. are assisting with difficult hydropower tunnel search operations.
- The government declared 15 disaster crisis zones, mobilizing 13,300 security personnel and releasing emergency funds to affected districts for relief.
- Addressing criticism, Shah explained that unidentified bodies were temporarily buried with DNA preserved due to inadequate storage and the condition of remains.
Kathmandu, Nepal: Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Wednesday defended the government’s response to the Bhotekoshi flood, saying rescue and relief operations began after authorities received information about the disaster.
Speaking in the House of Representatives, Shah answered questions about the warning issued before the flood, the handling of unidentified bodies, foreign assistance, the search for workers inside hydropower tunnels and coordination between the federal, provincial and local governments.
The flood struck the Bhotekoshi River area of Rasuwa on August 26 and later affected communities along the Trishuli River in Nuwakot, Dhading, Chitwan and other districts.
According to figures presented by Shah, 1,114 bodies have been recovered, 3,916 people remain unaccounted for and 292 people have been injured. A total of 11,993 people have been rescued.
Shah said the government received the first information about the flood at around 8:45 a.m. on August 26. Local administrations were then asked to warn people living near the river to move to safer places. An emergency meeting was called soon afterwards, he said, followed by the mobilisation of security personnel and helicopters.
The government says 13,300 security personnel from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force were involved in rescue and relief operations. Shah also said helicopters were used to evacuate people from affected areas.
However, questions remain about whether people living downstream received sufficient warning before the flood reached their communities. Shah said the scale of the event was beyond what authorities could reasonably forecast. He said security personnel had been sent to warn communities after information about the flood was received, but some of those personnel were also swept away.
The government’s response has also been questioned over the delay in bringing foreign rescue specialists to the hydropower tunnels.
Shah rejected claims that the government had deliberately delayed foreign assistance. He said Nepal had been in contact with other countries from the beginning and that teams from India and China had initially carried out assessments before entering the affected areas.
Foreign rescue specialists later joined the search. Reuters reported that teams from India, China and the United States were assisting with the tunnel operations, where more than 600 workers may still be unaccounted for.
The tunnel searches have been particularly difficult because the tunnels were filled with floodwater, mud and debris. Shah said the situation was different from a normal landslide in which a blocked tunnel can be cleared from the entrance. He said rescuers first have to make the area safe before bringing in heavy equipment.
The delay has nevertheless raised concerns among families and hydropower companies waiting for information about missing workers.
Shah also defended the government’s decision to temporarily bury unidentified bodies. He said bodies that could not be identified immediately were buried because of their condition and the lack of suitable storage facilities. DNA samples and other identifying information were preserved so that the bodies could later be matched with families.
The prime minister said families would be allowed to take the bodies after identification and perform the final rites according to their religious and cultural practices.
Shah said the government had also provided emergency medical treatment and temporary shelter for people displaced by the flood. He said Rs 10 million each had been released to Rasuwa and Nuwakot and Rs 5 million to Dhading for disaster management.
The government has declared 15 affected local levels as disaster crisis zones for three months. It has also directed the concerned ministries to restore roads, electricity, drinking water and telecommunications services.
According to the prime minister, 182 of the 292 injured people have already been discharged from hospitals. Medical teams have been working in the affected areas, while additional patients have been brought to Kathmandu for treatment.
Shah also rejected criticism that the federal government had failed to coordinate with provincial and local authorities. He said federal officials had been in contact with the Bagmati provincial government and local representatives since the disaster began.
The issue of coordination, however, remains part of the wider debate over the response. Provincial and local officials have said that responsibilities need to be clearly divided, particularly in the distribution of relief and the use of equipment and other resources.
The House of Representatives also adopted a special motion on Wednesday expressing grief over the deaths and damage caused by the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli floods.
Shah left the House after completing his address. The parliamentary meeting continued afterward.
The immediate focus remains on finding people still missing, particularly workers believed to be inside hydropower tunnels. At the same time, questions about the warning system, the timing of foreign assistance and coordination among the three levels of government are likely to remain part of the discussion over the government's handling of the disaster.
