KATHMANDU, Sept 2: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has estimated that the catastrophic flash flood of August 26 and accompanying mudslides along Nepal’s Bhotekoshi–Trishuli river system deposited at least 2.2 million tons of debris across affected areas.
The UNDP’s Rapid Assessment and Analysis for Immediate Recovery and Development Action calculated that 556,200 tons of building-related debris are linked to currently assessed structures, while a broader indicative estimate of 2.2 million tons includes personal property, vegetation, rock, and sediment mobilized by the floods.
For this assessment, UNDP combined satellite-based building damage data from Copernicus EMS and SERTIT with other available sources and locally adapted engineering estimates to map the scale and location of debris.
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The agency stated that the flash flood, reportedly triggered by a glacial collapse on August 26, swept water, mud, and rocks through communities in the affected districts.
The floods struck communities already among the most vulnerable in Nepal. Roughly three in four affected residents were living in areas where livelihoods, access to basic services, and living conditions were already precarious, states the report.
“This is a devastating disaster for communities along the Trishuli corridor. Families have lost loved ones, homes, and livelihoods, while entire communities are struggling to reconnect with essential services and one another,” said Kyoko Yokosuka, UNDP Resident Representative in Nepal.
“The scale of destruction is immense, and as the immediate response continues, we must make sure that recovery reaches the people who have been hit hardest and helps them rebuild safely and with greater resilience,” she added.
Government figures show that 84,270 people have been affected across 17 municipalities in six districts. More than 1,000 people are confirmed dead, with over 4,000 reported missing. Most of the affected municipalities are rural and located in Nepal’s hill regions, where 67.4 percent of residents depend on agriculture.
For households reliant on farming, damage to crops, livestock, and farmland could have lasting impacts on food security and family incomes. Nepal’s main monsoon planting season runs from June through September, making the timing of the floods particularly devastating for agricultural communities, the UNDP report noted.
