UN aid operation underway in Nepal following fresh floods

At least five people are missing and 95 have been rescued, according to the authorities. Hundreds are affected. 

It is believed the disaster was caused by a landslide that blocked the Budhi Gandaki River. 

‘We stand with Nepal’

“Our hearts are with every family affected by the Budhi Gandaki floods,” the UN Country Team said on social media.  “We stand with Nepal.” 

The UN is supporting the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) in getting food to those who lost their homes. 

The World Food Programme (WFP) said on Sunday that three trucks carrying ready-to-eat food and relief supplies were on the way to help meet the immediate needs of affected communities.

Food security at risk

The “devastating” floods have damaged key roads, crops and livestock, threatening local food security, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said in a post on social media. 

The UN Country Team said FAO drones and satellite imagery by the UN humanitarian affairs office OCHA are being used to “map damage in places roads can’t reach.” 

Families in need

The raging flood waters disrupted essential services that children and families rely on, including water supply, education and healthcare. Displaced families now require safe shelter, clean drinking water, child protection and psychosocial support 

UN children’s agency UNICEF is supporting rapid assessments to identify impacts and to determine priorities for the immediate response.

UNICEF also has stocks of emergency supplies pre-positioned and ready for deployment, including hygiene kits, water treatment supplies, dignity kits, winter clothing, education materials and psychosocial support services. 

Communities in Nepal are still reeling from the impact of flooding in late August that was triggered by a glacier collapse in the Himalayas. At least 1,400 people were killed and more than 5,000 are still missing.