Nepal floods: Reconstruction bill could run into ‘billions of dollars’, says Foreign Minister

Nepal may need billions of dollars to rebuild after the devastating floods that have caused widespread destruction, Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal said on Saturday (August 29). "The reconstruction and rehabilitation would entail perhaps billions of dollars," he told reporters in Kathmandu.

Khanal said the government would first assess the damage before planning the reconstruction work. He also appealed to the international community for help.

"We will do loss and damage research and then we plan, but I am reaching out to our international community for support".

Three days after the disaster, the government was still focused on rescuing people and saving lives. Khanal said the scale of the destruction was already putting pressure on the government's resources.

"The urgency is on rescue and saving lives as much as we can", he said.

Rescue teams have so far recovered 626 bodies, while more than 2,426 people remain missing across Nepal.

Nepal seeks help to preserve bodies

The government has also sought specialised support to identify and preserve the bodies recovered from the flood-hit areas.

"We have reached out to our friends who can provide specific requirements, not only in the rescue," Khanal said.

Many bodies have been recovered downstream after remaining in water for a long time. Officials are concerned that they could decompose quickly, making identification more difficult.

"Hundreds of bodies have been found downstream, and there is a risk of fast decomposition because these bodies have been in water for a long time," Khanal said.

Nepal does not have enough facilities to preserve a large number of bodies for a long period.

"Our own healthcare capacity is very limited to put these bodies in a frozen state for a long time," Khanal said.

The government has therefore asked for refrigerators to preserve the bodies until families can identify and claim their loved ones.

"So we've been asking to provide fridges until... we can locate the loved ones of these people who passed away in this disaster."

Khanal said Nepal was also considering the use of freezer trucks to help preserve the bodies.

"The government was also considering bringing in "freezer trucks, like those where you can put perishable goods", he added.

Also Read: PM Modi poster in Tashkent as his state visit to Uzbekistan begins

DNA testing becomes major challenge

Identifying the recovered bodies is another major challenge for the authorities. Nepal has limited forensic facilities for DNA testing and reporting.

"We need forensic capability," he said. "DNA sampling, DNA testing and reporting -- we have very limited forensic capability in Nepal."

The latest figures from the Nepal Police showed that the death toll from the Rasuwa Bhote Koshi flash floods had reached 669 by 4 PM on Saturday.

Emergency teams working downstream have recovered bodies from several districts. Chitwan has reported the highest number, with 248 bodies recovered.

Nawalparasi East has recorded 158 bodies, followed by Nawalparasi West with 75. Gorkha has reported 54 bodies, Dhading 49, Nuwakot 41, Tanahun 31 and Rasuwa 13.