Foreign Minister Khanal said: A big resource is needed for reconstruction
Kathmandu. Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal briefed the diplomatic community in Kathmandu about the Bhotekoshi flood incident.
Ambassadors of various countries, heads and representatives of the diplomatic missions, representatives of the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and International Organizations including the United Nations were present in the diplomatic briefing held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. On the occasion, Minister Khanal apprised the Minister of the latest situation of disaster caused by the devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi River at Rasuwagadhi on August 23, the search and rescue efforts of the government, the condition of foreign nationals and the international support. Minister Khanal said the government’s priority was to save the lives of the affected citizens, search and rescue and security of the foreign nationals. Minister Khanal said that the flood in the Bhotekoshi River at Rasuwagadhi along the Nepal-China border on the morning of August 24 had washed away a huge quantity of water, soil and silt in the downstream area.
“I prefer to call this devastating flood a ‘Himalayan Tsunami’, because we have not experienced anything like this in recent memory,” he said.
According to him, the flood had reached the Narayani river system from Rasuwa via Trishuli. He said that the flood has severely affected the communities and physical infrastructure in various areas of Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan.
Stating that the government was studying the causes of the disaster and its development, Minister Khanal said it was taking help from technical experts for the same. On the occasion, he termed the devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi River at Rasuwagadhi on August 23 as ‘Himalayan Tsunami’. Minister Khanal said the government has prioritized search, rescue, safe relocation, treatment and relief works from the very first day of the disaster. He said that an emergency meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority and the Council of Ministers has been called immediately and the available national resources have been mobilized. According to him, along with the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force Nepal, federal, state and local level bodies, health workers, emergency rescue workers, volunteers and local communities are continuously engaged in rescue and relief work. He said that more than 21,000 security personnel have been mobilized for search, rescue and relief. Foreign Minister Khanal clarified that the safety and welfare of foreign nationals is the top priority of the Government of Nepal. According to him, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is coordinating with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, Nepal Police, Nepal Tourism Board, Nepali missions abroad and the families of the disappeared foreign nationals. He said the emergency control room set up at the Ministry and Nepali missions abroad have been assisting in providing verified information to the families of the disappeared foreign nationals, facilitating the identification process and making arrangements for their repatriation if necessary. He thanked India, China, South Korea, Japan, the United States, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Singapore, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Latvia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Bhutan, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Norway, Israel, Canada, Sri Lanka, Thailand and New Zealand. He also expressed his gratitude to the European Union, Asian Development Bank, World Bank, United Nations and other international organizations and friendly countries for their assistance. According to him, the international assistance has come in the form of rescue expertise, equipment, logistics, medical and forensic support, and financial assistance. Minister Khanal said that the Prime Minister had visited the site of the affected areas and he had also inspected some of the affected areas. Minister Khanal said that a large amount of resources would be required for the reconstruction of structures damaged by the Bhotekoshi floods. “After a detailed assessment of the damage, the international partners will be informed through official channel about the resources required for the reconstruction and will be requested for assistance in rehabilitation and reconstruction,” he said. “The government is committed to managing international cooperation on the basis of transparency, accountability and clear target areas,” he said. Stating that the monetary assistance was being mobilized through the Prime Minister Natural Disaster Relief Fund, Minister Khanal urged all to be aware of fake QR codes, links and accounts as there could be fraud in the name of disaster. Minister Khanal said that the Bhotekoshi disaster should be seen not only as a humanitarian crisis but also linked it to the growing climate crisis in the Himalayan region. He stressed the need to translate climate justice, effective early warning systems, disaster preparedness and disaster resilient reconstruction into practice through paper commitments. Although the disaster has had a big impact especially in some areas of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, the rest of the areas of Nepal are safe and fully open. Stating that airports across the country are operating normally, Minister Khanal said major tourist destinations like Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan, Lumbini, Janakpur, Annapurna region, Sagarmatha area and Bardiya are open for reception of tourists. He stressed the need to give continuity to the arrival of tourists in this difficult time of disaster as tourism is an important lifeline for the Nepali people and local communities. Urging the representatives of the diplomatic missions to spread the message to their citizens and government that Nepal is safe, Minister Khanal said, “Nepal is open and ready to welcome the passengers with the same warmth and hospitality that our country is familiar with.” At the end of the briefing , Minister Khanal expressed gratitude for the solidarity and support received from neighbors, friendly countries and the international community in this difficult time of disaster.
प्रतिक्रिया दिनुहोस्
