Nepal says flood reconstruction will cost nearly $6.7 billion after August disaster
Nepal has said reconstruction after the deadly floods and mudslides of 26 August will cost $4.78 billion, or about $6.67 billion. The estimate covers damage across mountain areas hit by a glacier collapse near the Nepal-Tibet border that triggered a surge of water, mud and debris. Officials say the scale of the destruction has left whole villages wiped out and key infrastructure badly damaged.
Sponsored
The foreign ministry said $57.67 million is needed for short-term recovery over the next six months. It added that about $4.71 billion will be required for longer-term reconstruction adapted to a rapidly changing mountain environment. Spokesman Lok Bahadur Chhetri said the government is carrying out a comprehensive post-disaster needs assessment to determine the full extent of loss and damage.
The disaster engulfed at least 12 hydropower projects in mud and debris, according to the government estimate. Cross-border trade routes, roads, bridges, houses and other infrastructure were also swept away in the valleys below the glacier. Nepal's disaster agency said rescuers have retrieved 1,385 bodies, while around 5,130 people remain missing.
The scale of the bill underlines the financial strain on a country that has repeatedly faced severe weather and terrain-related disasters. Nepal's leaders have argued that wealthier countries should contribute more to the costs of climate-linked damage, saying poorer countries bear the consequences of a crisis they have done little to cause. Prime Minister Balendra Shah is expected to raise the issue at the UN General Assembly later this month.
Sponsored
The floods also had consequences beyond Nepal's borders. In Tibet, Chinese state media reported 43 dead and 519 missing, bringing the combined toll to 1,428 dead and more than 5,649 missing across the wider disaster area. The figures also include around 800 foreigners, among them tourists and pilgrims, according to the report.
What remains unclear is how much of the estimated reconstruction bill will be met by domestic resources and how much may depend on outside support. The government says its assessment work is continuing, which could change the final cost and priorities for rebuilding. Officials are also still accounting for the full human and infrastructure impact across the affected mountain valleys.
Sponsored
