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Nepal seeks grants, not loans, for flood recovery after deadly glacier disaster
Reuters • • world
Key Points:
- Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah appealed at the UN General Assembly for grant-based international aid to support recovery from a glacier flood that killed at least 1,450 people and caused extensive damage.
- Shah estimated Nepal's reconstruction needs at about 10% of its GDP and emphasized that vulnerable countries should not incur additional debt to rebuild after climate disasters.
- He called for enhanced regional cooperation between Nepal, India, and China to improve climate resilience through shared satellite data, glacial lake monitoring, early-warning systems, and coordinated disaster responses.
- The glacier collapse near the Nepal-China border in late August triggered landslides and flash floods, destroying infrastructure and leaving over 6,000 people missing, many of whom may never be found.
- The World Bank has made up to $170 million in emergency financing available to assist Nepal's disaster response and recovery efforts.
