Kathmandu, 30 August (H.S.):

Amid ongoing relief and rescue operations following devastating floods in Nepal, Prime Minister Balendra Shah has pledged that every possible effort will be made to rescue those still missing. He said the government would continue search and rescue operations until the last hope of finding survivors had been exhausted and promised to rehabilitate every person affected by the disaster. He also reiterated his government’s commitment to relief efforts and long-term reconstruction.

According to a report in The Kathmandu Post, Shah said in a Facebook post on Saturday night that the disaster had severely affected communities living in the downstream areas of rivers in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. He said saving the lives of every affected citizen remained the government’s highest priority.

Referring to the search and rescue operations being conducted despite difficult terrain and adverse weather conditions, Shah said more than 7,500 people had so far been evacuated to safety. Among them were 279 employees who had been stranded at various hydropower project sites.

He said 18,708 personnel from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force had been deployed as part of the massive rescue operation, supported by 16 military and private helicopters. The forces have so far carried out 236 rescue missions. International experts from India and China are also actively assisting relief and rescue operations on the ground.

To boost the morale of frontline personnel working in high-risk areas, Shah announced an immediate increase in allowances for daily meals and incentives for security personnel deployed in the affected areas.

The Prime Minister said NPR 5.04 billion and USD 1.8 million had been deposited into the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund through commercial accounts. Details of the contributions can be viewed publicly on the official Rescue Request Portal. He appealed to citizens and donors to contribute only through the government’s official QR code to avoid fraudulent fundraising schemes.

Shah said Nepal had received substantial international assistance following the disaster. This includes a USD 167 million concessional loan from the World Bank, a USD 5 million grant and USD 150,000 in technical assistance from the Asian Development Bank, USD 500,000 from the United States, AUD 1 million from Australia and CHF 1 million from Switzerland through the United Nations.

He said India had delivered 57.5 tonnes of emergency medical and humanitarian supplies along with 2,000 airtight body bags. China is also providing similar humanitarian assistance and body bags. Nepal has formally requested 30 Bailey bridges from Beijing to help restore river crossings destroyed by the floods.

Shah confirmed that 675 bodies had been recovered from eight districts. He reiterated that the government machinery would remain fully mobilised until the objectives of the rescue operation and the long-term reconstruction effort were completely achieved.

The Prime Minister’s assurance comes as Nepal continues to deal with the extensive destruction caused by the floods, with rescue teams working under challenging conditions to reach affected and isolated communities.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar