By South China Morning Post | Created at 2026-09-07 09:01:37 | Updated at 2026-09-07 10:32:32
1 hour ago
Nepal is seeking financial aid following the catastrophic flood that killed hundreds of people and caused billions of dollars in economic losses, tapping a global financial mechanism established to address the impacts of climate change in developing countries.
Kathmandu has formally requested the UN-backed Fund for responding to Loss and Damage to “respond rapidly, directly and effectively” amid the country’s worst natural disaster in decades.
In a letter signed by Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle and Environment Minister Gita Chaudhary, officials said early action by the entity would signal a capability to respond “with humanity, flexibility and solidarity when climate-vulnerable countries face loss and damage beyond their capacity to address alone”.
The August 26 tsunami-like flooding – triggered by a rock-ice avalanche along the Nepal-China border – has killed more than 1,300 people, with roughly 5,000 others still missing. On Friday, the Nepal Army rescued two local workers trapped inside a hydropower tunnel for nine days, while a Chinese national was pulled out the following day.
Two people, including a Chinese national, rescued in Nepal 10 days after flash flood disaster
“What Nepal is doing by submitting the request is genuine and right,” Raju Pandit Chhetri, executive director of the environmental non-profit Prakriti Resources Centre, told This Week in Asia. “The support that Nepal might get may be minuscule, but it will send a significant message symbolically and set a precedent for other countries.”
