Key Takeaways:

  • PM Shah: “We do not have time to take rest” – leadership must give courage, not tears
  • Government response began within minutes: alerts at 9am, helicopters mobilised by 9:45am
  • 15 local levels declared disaster-affected for three months; families of victims to receive financial aid
  • Free emergency treatment ordered for injured; efforts underway to restore electricity, telecom, roads and water

KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 2

Prime Minister Balendra Shah has said the government cannot afford to “take rest” while thousands of people are affected by the devastating Bhotekoshi flash flood, telling Parliament that the state must provide people with courage and support during the crisis.

Addressing the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Shah said the government had been working day and night to respond to the disaster that struck the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa on August 26.

“We do not have time to take rest citing tiredness,” Shah said, stressing that leadership must give people courage, support and trust rather than tears during a disaster.

Shah paid tribute to those killed, expressed condolences to families who lost loved ones, and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. He described the disaster as a “collective thunderbolt” on the heart of the entire Nepal.

Government response began within minutes

PM Shah gave a detailed timeline of the government’s actions:

  • 8:45 am – Disaster information received from the District Disaster Management Committee.
  • 9:00 am – District offices directed settlements along riverbanks to move to safer locations.
  • 9:15 am – Emergency meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority convened.
  • 9:35 am – Alert notifications sent to mobile phones in affected areas.
  • 9:45 am – First Nepali Army helicopter deployed for rescue; private helicopters placed on standby.
  • 10:00 am – Emergency meeting of the Nepali Army’s Monsoon Command Post held.
  • 10:30 am – Search and Rescue and Emergency Response Team ready at Tribhuvan International Airport.

Personnel from the Nepali Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force were deployed from Kathmandu and other districts for search, rescue, treatment and relief operations. Additional helicopters and drone teams were mobilised.

PM Shah said 15 affected local levels had been declared disaster-affected areas for three months, with immediate financial assistance to families of those killed to be provided according to law.

The government directed the Ministry of Health and Food Safety, the Nepali Army and government hospitals to provide free emergency treatment to the injured. Arrangements are being made for displaced families to stay in safe locations, while efforts continue to restore electricity, telecommunications, roads and drinking water in the affected areas.