Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah has thanked India, China and the US for their assistance after devastating flash floods hit the country on August 26, saying the support has played an important role in ongoing rescue and relief operations.
Shah thanks India in Parliament
Addressing Parliament, Shah acknowledged the rapid response from India and China, including the deployment of emergency assistance, technical teams and relief material following the flash floods.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier said he spoke to his Nepalese counterpart Balen Shah following the deadly flash flood and assured him of “all possible humanitarian assistance”. Shah’s expression of gratitude comes after Nepal’s foreign affairs minister Shisir Khanal called for a move away from conventional humanitarian aid towards “climate compensation” from major emitters, including India, China and the United States. Khanal has said Nepal’s contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is negligible, while the country is facing serious consequences from changes in the Himalayan environment.
Speaking about the disaster, Shah said, “So far, 11,993 people have been rescued. We have not been able to establish contact with at least 3,916 people. The next day, a group of ministers travelled to the affected areas. In these difficult times, we got support from various countries, including India, China, the US, and others. We got support from various banks.”
