Nepal Flood Damage Estimated at $2.56 Billion

Nepal’s catastrophic floods caused at least 387.5 billion Nepalese rupees, or $2.56 billion, in losses to property, homes and infrastructure, the country’s disaster authority said.

The first four months of early recovery are expected to require about $52.6 million. That estimate covers rebuilding roads and temporary shelters, supplying drinking water and restoring electricity.

“These are estimated amounts. We have calculated this in coordination with different concerned agencies and departments,” Dharma Raj Upreti, head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, told Reuters. He said authorities would soon conduct a detailed assessment.

Nepal will need to rebuild about 20,000 houses in areas hit by the floods, Upreti said. At least 7,500 of those homes were destroyed.

The flooding followed the collapse of a glacier on Aug. 26. Ice, rock and mud surged down the Trishuli River in Nepal’s border region with China, wiping out towns and villages. More than 1,250 people were killed, over 4,200 remained missing and thousands were displaced.

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These are estimated amounts. We have calculated this in coordination with different concerned agencies and departments.