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The United States on Tuesday (local time) announced an additional USD 31 million to support Nepal's flood recovery efforts, including funding for permanent bridges, humanitarian assistance and US-made drones for future disaster recovery efforts.
In a post on X, the US Embassy in Nepal said Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker met Nepal's Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal in New York and extended the United States heartfelt sympathies to all of those affected by the devastating floods in Nepal, including the families of the approximately 70 Americans who remain unaccounted for. https://x.com/USEmbassyNepal/status/2102553773256368180 During the meeting, Hooker announced plans to provide USD 10 million in funding for permanent, custom-built bridges, which the United States said it was proudly sourcing from a U.S. company. These bridges will restore critical transportation infrastructure in affected areas and strengthen regional connectivity, the post said. The Under Secretary also announced plans to provide USD 8 million in additional assistance for water, sanitation and hygiene, as well as shelter, protection, livelihoods and winterization support, to affected communities. The Department also plans to provide USD 13 million in US-made drones designed to better support future disaster recovery efforts. This funding announcement brings the United States total assistance to Nepals flood response and recovery efforts to more than USD 36 million, the post said. The United States will continue to work closely with the Government of Nepal to identify and deliver additional assistance where it is most needed, it added. In a post on X, the Nepal Mission to the UN said, "H.E. Allison Hooker, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, paid a courtesy call on Hon. Shishir Khanal @shisir, Minister for Foreign Affairs, today on the margin of #UNGA81. Discussions covered Nepal-U.S. relations, relief and reconstruction efforts following the recent Bhotekoshi floods, and continued U.S. support for Nepals recovery efforts." https://x.com/NepalUNNY/status/2102488427442622629 The financial support comes as, earlier on Tuesday, Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah departed from Kathmandu for the United States of America to participate in the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Prime Minister Shah is leading the Nepali delegation at the General Assembly, travelling with a 14-member team. He is scheduled to address the UN General Assembly session on September 24. Meanwhile, a delegation led by Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal is already in New York attending the assembly. Prime Minister Shah is prepared to raise Nepals key priority issues before the international community. During his stay in New York, Prime Minister Shah is scheduled to meet United Nations Secretary-General Antnio Guterres. He will return home on September 26. This will be his first foreign visit since assuming office. In particular, his address is expected to prioritise the escalating climate crisis in Nepal, climate justice for affected nations, technology transfer, simplified access to climate finance, and international support for reconstruction. Through this General Assembly, the government aims to present Nepals climate and development concerns on the global platform. The flood struck riverside settlements in Rasuwa district on the morning of August 26, rapidly affecting neighbouring areas, including Nuwakot and Dhading. Meanwhile, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority's situation report on Tuesday, a total of 1,451 recovered or rescued bodies had been recorded in connection with the Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi flood. Of these, 1,333 were "safely stored underground" and 112 were handed over to families. The NDRRMA said a total of 344 patients had received treatment across 19 health facilities, of whom 12 were currently undergoing treatment, while four individuals had passed away during the course of treatment. A total of 1,134 affected people were sheltering in 21 holding centres, including 793 in nine centres in Rasuwa, 220 in eight centres in Nuwakot and 121 in four centres in Dhading. The authority said 3,345 DNA samples were being handled by forensic laboratories, including 1,329 deceased DNA samples and 2,016 reference DNA samples collected from relatives of missing persons. International forensic expert teams assisting the response include 19 DNA experts from India, two fingerprint experts from Singapore, three DNA experts from South Korea, three fingerprint experts from the United States and 15 DNA experts from China. The NDRRMA also said 2,472 police personnel had been deployed across 430 km of river corridors in eight flood-affected districts under the Timure-Triveni (T2T) Initiative to carry out search and rescue operations, deploy sniffer dogs and drones, disseminate DNA-related information, manage relief, rehabilitation and camp operations, and conduct public awareness programmes. (ANI)
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