The flash floods hit the Rasuwa district and other areas along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers on Tuesday morning. The masses of water swept away settlements, bridges, and roads. According to authorities, numerous bodies have been recovered, and thousands of people remain missing. Particularly affected are remote mountain regions that are in some cases difficult to reach. Preliminary reports indicate that further flood waves cannot be ruled out.
Helvetas is in close contact with local authorities, partner organisations, and affected communities. A team of staff from Nepal is on its way to the crisis region to determine the need for aid and prepare initial measures. Helvetas is working with a long- standing local partner organisation on the ground.
Helvetas has already allocated 100,000 Swiss francs for emergency relief. For emergency assistance, Helvetas coordinates with partner organisations from the European network Alliance2015 and has a long history of experience in humanitarian aid.
"Many of the affected villages are in remote mountain regions that are difficult to reach after the flood. Thanks to our long-standing presence in Nepal and cooperation with local partner organisations, we can quickly ascertain where help is most urgently needed and how we can best support the people," says Niraj Acharya, Head of Humanitarian Aid at Helvetas Nepal.
Helvetas has been active in Nepal for over 70 years and has a broad network of local partner organisations. Based on ongoing needs assessments, decisions will be made in the coming days regarding which relief measures will be prioritised. Currently, the focus is on providing particularly vulnerable households with emergency shelters, hygiene items, drinking water, and other essential goods.
The organisation has launched an appeal for donations in Switzerland to enable emergency aid for those affected.
Donation account: IBAN: CH76 0900 0000 8000 3130 4 (Note: Nepal)
Press contact:
Nepal (English)
Niraj Acharya, Head of Humanitarian Aid, Helvetas Nepal
Mobile: +977 984 145 72 84
E-Mail: Niraj.Acharya@helvetas.org
Maneesh Pradhan, Country Director, Helvetas Nepal
Phone: +977 1 54 24 925, 5424 926
E-Mail: Maneesh.Pradhan@helvetas.org
Switzerland (German/English)
Jürg Merz, Continental Coordinator Asia, Helvetas
Mobile: +41 78 341 00 96
E-Mail: Juerg.Merz@helvetas.org
Jürg Merz has worked for Helvetas in Nepal for many years and coordinated extensive emergency measures following the devastating earthquake of 2015. He is currently in India and available for assessments of the situation in Nepal and the country's context.