KATHMANDU: The reconstruction bill after deadly floods sparked by a glacial mountain collapse that hit Nepal last month would amount to US$4.78 billion, the foreign ministry said on Friday (Sep 11).
The tsunami-like surge of water, mud and debris on Aug 26, which began on the China-Nepal border, killed more than 1,400 people and left some 5,600 missing.
“The total estimated requirement for reconstruction is approximately US$4.78 billion,” Nepali foreign ministry spokesman Lok Bahadur Chhetri told reporters.
“Of this, approximately US$57.67 million is estimated to be required for short-term reconstruction and recovery over the next six months, while approximately US$4.71 billion is required for longer-term reconstruction.”
Nepal’s leaders say the Himalayan country needs long-term international support to adapt to a rapidly changing mountain environment.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah said earlier that Nepal must “strongly raise” with the international community the disasters it has experienced as a result of climate change.
Shah is expected to take his first foreign trip as leader to address the UN General Assembly on the urgent issue this month.
Nepal, a largely rural nation of 30 million people, contributes a fraction of global greenhouse gas emissions compared to industrialised nations.
While the exact cause of the glacial collapse is unclear, climate change is causing glaciers to melt worldwide, increasing the risk of such disasters.
Scientists say glaciers in the Himalayas, the world’s highest mountain range, are melting faster as global temperatures rise.