Nepal: flood damage exceeds $2.56 billion, authority says
National Disaster Risk Reduction Authority: about 20,000 homes must be rebuilt and $52.6 million needed for the first four months of reconstruction.
Nepal's government agency in charge of disaster response has put the economic toll from last week's catastrophic floods at a minimum of 387.5 billion Nepali rupees — roughly $2.56 billion, the head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Authority, Darma Raj Upreti, said today.
Upreti warned that immediate reconstruction needs are significant. "For the first four months of reconstruction about $52.6 million will be needed for road construction and temporary shelters, drinking water supply and restoration of electricity supply," he said.
The authority estimates that roughly 20,000 houses across flood-hit areas will require rebuilding, and at least 7,500 homes have been completely destroyed.
Assessment and next steps
Those preliminary figures were compiled in coordination with the relevant state bodies, Upreti said, while a comprehensive damage survey has not yet been completed. The initial $52.6 million is intended to cover urgent works such as repairing roads, providing temporary shelter and restoring basic services.
The floods struck Nepal at the end of last month and caused heavy human losses: more than 1,250 people have died and over 4,200 are still listed as missing, authorities reported. Thousands more have been displaced.
A full, detailed assessment is expected to refine the final cost and scope of reconstruction, but the current estimate already points to a major recovery operation for Nepal in the months ahead.
Photo: Sandeep Raut / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
