Kathmandu, Sept 22: Nepal and the European Union have pledged to deepen cooperation in the recovery and reconstruction of areas devastated by the August 26 Bhotekoshi flood.
Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal and European Commission Executive Vice-President Teresa Ribera discussed the issue during a meeting on the sidelines of the 81st United Nations General Assembly in New York.
Khanal thanked Ribera for expressing sympathy and solidarity with Nepal following the disaster. The two sides reviewed different aspects of the Nepal-EU partnership and reaffirmed their commitment to expanding cooperation, with particular attention to the recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction of flood-hit communities.
The Bhotekoshi disaster began after a massive snow and rock avalanche on the Tibetan side triggered a sudden outburst and debris flow. The flood travelled through the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems, causing widespread destruction in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Chitwan. Gorkha, Tanahun and the two Nawalparasi districts were also affected.
The disaster killed nearly 1,400 people, while thousands remained unaccounted for. It swept away or damaged dozens of bridges, destroyed long stretches of roads and hit hydropower plants, hotels, farmland, schools and settlements along the river corridor.
A post-disaster assessment estimated that Nepal would need more than Rs 723 billion for recovery and reconstruction, with infrastructure accounting for the largest share. The scale of the damage has prompted the government to seek stronger international cooperation for rebuilding and reducing future disaster risks.
Khanal is in New York to attend the UN General Assembly and hold diplomatic meetings. He has also met Polish Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski and Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay.
His talks in New York have focused on bilateral relations, climate change and Nepal’s recovery from the Bhotekoshi disaster. During the meeting with Tobgay, both sides stressed closer climate cooperation between the two mountainous countries as extreme weather events become more frequent and destructive.
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