UN says Nepal flood debris tops 2.2M tonnes as deaths, missing mount

The UN said Tuesday that Nepal’s flood response was entering a new phase as deaths and missing people mounted and preliminary assessments put debris at more than 2.2 million tonnes.

“Our colleagues tell us that the response to last week’s flash floods is entering a new phase, with authorities intensifying relief efforts and recovery operations,” UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told a news conference.

Dujarric said authorities had recovered more than 1,000 bodies, while 3,900 people remained unaccounted for.

“Nearly 12,000 have been rescued so far,” he added.

“Nearly 3,500 people are now living in 27 displacement sites across the hardest-hit districts of Nuwakot and Rasuwa,” Dujarric said.

Many are sheltering in schools, disrupting children’s education, he added.

Citing the UN Development Programme, Dujarric said a preliminary assessment estimated that at least 2.2 million tonnes of debris had been left along the most affected river system.

That included approximately 556,200 tonnes of building debris, based on satellite assessments covering more than 2,300 damaged buildings, he said.

The floods also damaged energy infrastructure, knocking out 11 hydropower stations and one solar plant, representing about 431.1 megawatts of capacity, according to Dujarric.

He said 15 hydropower projects under construction, which would have added another 470 megawatts, were also damaged.

Dujarric said access remained the main challenge, with more than 40 bridges destroyed and sections of the main highway blocked.

Remote communities were relying on army helicopter flights for supplies, he added.

Dujarric also warned of growing public health risks from “overcrowded shelters, contaminated water and damaged health facilities.”

He said the conditions put people, particularly women and children, at greater risk of disease during the monsoon season.

Official data from Nepal and China showed Tuesday that the death toll from flash floods and mudslides in the Himalayan border region had surpassed 1,050.

The data showed more than 4,000 people, including hundreds of foreigners, remained missing.