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Indian Ambassador to Nepal Naveen Srivastava on Thursday highlighted India's ongoing humanitarian aid, specialised tunnel rescue contingents, and a 19-member forensic team to aid the relief efforts in the flood-ravaged Nepal and assured that India would respond positively to its neighbour's request for reconstruction aid.
Highlighting the speed of India's response following the August 26 flash floods, Ambassador Srivastava noted that India has mobilised five relief flights packed with emergency supplies, anddirect outreach with top Nepalese leadership began immediately. "The day the disaster took place, we had gotten in touch with the Nepali government. I spoke to the foreign minister, and I had also spoken to the army chief of the Nepal Army, and had inquired as to what sort of help they would require. Based on that information that we got, we have been in close coordination. Our first relief flight landed in Kathmandu on the night of August 26th. That brought in immediate relief equipment and materials such as tents, sleeping bags, medicines, etc. And then thereafter, based on Nepali Army... Nepali side's requests and projections as to what kind of relief material they require, we have sent four more flights. The last flight came yesterday," he said. Going beyond standard relief materials, Srivastava highlighted that India has sent specialised technical teams equipped with heavy machinery to rescue workers trapped in flooded tunnels across severely impacted regions like Syaphrubesi and Chilime. "Now, apart from the relief material, the immediate relief material, including medicines, etc., based on the requests that we received, they told us last Friday that they would need specialized help for tunnel rescue. So we brought in an 11-member team, they did recce, then based on that information and feedback, we got a 13-member team, and yesterday another 11-member team came with more specialized equipment. And they had gone up to an area called Syaphrubesi, which is one of the hardest-hit areas of this flood. And... but this is close to the Chilime tunnel, where our teams are deployed, so that they can easily access and be available. So that's been one," Srivastava explained. He further noted that to resolve victim identification challenges, India has also embedded forensic specialists directly with Nepalese testing laboratories. "The second fact... second element was the Nepali request for assistance in DNA analysis and testing. So we brought in a 19-member forensic experts team along with their equipment, and they are working in um close collaboration with the Nepal Central Forensic Science Laboratory. They have started their work of collecting DNA samples and analyzing them," he added. Emphasising that Indian assistance will remain active throughout the crisis, Srivastava pledged continuous backing as the situation evolves. "We, as I said, we have been in close coordination with Nepal and the Nepal government and Nepal's authorities since the first day, and we maintain that. And as Nepal progresses its rescue operation and projects its requirements, we will continue to provide that aid," Srivastava stated. Asked about long-term rehabilitation effortsreminiscent of India's aid following the 2015 Nepal earthquakethe ambassador expressed full readiness to support the nation's recovery once the initial emergency subsides. "Well, as... I think Nepal government and the foreign minister made a briefing today, and he has been giving interviews. He says that they are right now still in search, rescue, and relief phase of it, and they will move towards reconstruction and rehabilitation phase. And that they will seek help of international partners," Srivastava said. "India being the closest neighbor and partner that Nepal has, uh, I think it will be natural that as and when they make that request, we would respond positively," he noted. (ANI)
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