UN launches $49.6m flash appeal following catastrophic floods in Nepal

KATHMANDU: The United Nations and its humanitarian partners have launched a $49.6 million flash appeal to deliver life-saving relief to people affected by catastrophic flash floods and landslides in northern Nepal. The appeal aims to reach more than 84,000 people over four months as part of a government-led response.

The disaster, triggered on August 26, has claimed more than 1,250 lives, left thousands missing and displaced entire villages across the districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. Severe damage to critical infrastructure has severed transport routes, disrupted power grids and washed out local water supply and sanitation systems, leaving isolated communities without basic necessities.

Operating under the overall leadership of National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), the emergency plan targets critical operational gaps identified by the government to prevent further hardship and disease outbreaks as winter approaches in high-altitude Himalayan communities. UN agencies and humanitarian responders are working alongside ongoing Nepali emergency operations.

The joint response will address essential humanitarian needs across several sectors. Direct cash transfers will be deployed where local markets remain functional, allowing families to purchase essential goods while supporting local economies. Aid teams will distribute cold-weather shelter materials and supply portable solar units to households to restore power and lighting in off-grid areas before winter sets in.

Humanitarian operations will also restore damaged water networks, deploy rapid purification systems and deliver hygiene supplies to halt the spread of waterborne illnesses. Emergency mobile clinics will provide immediate medical treatment and nutritional support. Protection teams will work to reunite children separated from their families, while aid teams will distribute emergency food and manage surviving livestock to protect rural livelihoods.

“Families have lost everything: their loved ones, their homes, their livelihoods, swept away in minutes,” said Lila Pieters Yahia, UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal. “Working under the government’s leadership, this appeal will get cash, shelter, healthcare, clean water and protection to the hardest-to-reach communities before winter closes in.”

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