Nepal flood reconstruction costs could reach billions of dollars, FM says

The cost of rebuilding Nepal following devastating floods could soar into the "billions of dollars," according to Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal. As authorities grapple with the immense scale of destruction, the government is initiating damage assessments to plan for comprehensive reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts.

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The reconstruction and rehabilitation would entail perhaps billions of dollars.

Khanal stated that international support is being actively sought to aid in the recovery process. While the immediate priority remains rescue and saving lives, the sheer magnitude of the disaster is already stretching Nepal's limited healthcare and logistical capacities.

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We will do loss and damage research and then we plan, but I am reaching out to our international community for support.

The recovery operation faces significant challenges, including the identification and preservation of hundreds of bodies recovered downstream. The risk of rapid decomposition due to prolonged submersion necessitates urgent measures, such as the provision of refrigeration facilities, to allow for proper identification and eventual return to families.

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The urgency is on rescue and saving lives as much as we can, but the scale of the disaster was already stretching the government's capacity.

Nepal's limited forensic capabilities, including DNA sampling and testing, present another hurdle. The government is appealing for specialized international assistance to manage these complex tasks, highlighting the critical need for global cooperation in the wake of this natural disaster.

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Our own healthcare capacity is very limited, to put these bodies in a frozen state for a long time.