The United Nations specified On Tuesday, catastrophic flash floods in Nepal left more than 1,000 people dead and thousands still missing. The statement specifically noted that women and girls are facing shortages of food, clean water, healthcare and protection as a result of the disaster.
The United Nations estimated 4,247 people were missing as search and rescue operations continued. The disaster was triggered by a glacier collapse and landslide near Nepal’s border with China on August 26, sending floods and debris flowing through settlements and infrastructure along river corridors.
The disaster severely impacted the mountainous districts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, destroying homes, roads, bridges, water systems and more Health facilities This leads to significant access restrictions for humanitarian workers. The CoPersistent monsoon rains, unstable slopes and clogged waterways have led to this hindered rescue operations and several remote communities were difficult to reach.
UN Women estimated the need for 43,000 women and girls immediate humanitarian assistance. Christine Arab, the agency’s regional director for Asia and the Pacific, said female survivors were running out of food, lacking access to clean water and facing increased protection risks. According to a report, nearly 160,000 women and girls in Rasuwa and Nuwakot were directly or indirectly affected previous UN Women assessment.
Arab warned that the floods had exacerbated pre-existing inequalities: women in affected communities had already traveled long distances to fetch water, and the destruction of roads, bridges and water systems had disrupted supplies. In addition, displacement and the lack of safe, separate sanitation, lighting and privacy also led to increased vulnerability to gender-based violence, human trafficking and exploitation. This also meant that female-headed households faced particular pressure, as male migration was common in the affected areas.
The World Health Organization also warned against this secondary health emergencies. Flooding, overcrowding, displacement and standing water could increase the risk of dengue, scrub typhus and other communicable diseases. Additionally, UNICEF reported that at least 17,000 children were affected and called for $17.2 million for emergency response and rapid recovery efforts.
Nepal is particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change-related disasters, despite producing negligible CO2 emissions. Last year, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres had raised concerns about the rapid melting of glaciers in the Himalayan region, which has lost almost a third of its glacial ice in the last 30 years.
