KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 14 (Bernama) — Days after devastating floods swept away settlements and left communities cut off in Nepal, the country has expressed its gratitude to Malaysia for providing US$1 million in aid and deploying its Smart rescue team to support search-and-rescue (SAR) operations.
Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Nepal in Kuala Lumpur Mudita Bajracharya said international support and expertise were crucial as Nepal continued efforts to locate victims and provide assistance to affected communities.
“We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the Government of Malaysia for supporting us with US$1 million,” she said, adding that Nepal had received generous assistance from neighbouring and friendly countries, international organisations, philanthropists and donors from around the world.
Appearing on the Bernama World programme ‘Nepal Floods: The Road to Recovery’ on Monday, Bajracharya said the Special Malaysia Disaster Assistance and Rescue Team (Smart) supported the SAR operations alongside other international teams.
The 11-member Smart team, deployed to Nepal on Sept 5 for a Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) mission, has since concluded its field deployment and returned to Malaysia.
Other international teams involved in the rescue efforts included those from Australia and the United Arab Emirates, while specialised tunnel rescue teams from India, China and South Korea worked with the Nepalese Army to search for victims in difficult-to-access areas.
Bajracharya said SAR operations were continuing, particularly around hydropower plants and other affected locations, while additional equipment and supplies were being mobilised with the help of international partners.
She said Nepal had also requested additional equipment and supplies to strengthen rescue and DNA identification efforts, including high-capacity and underwater drones, DNA testing kits, epidemic prevention supplies, portable generators, high-capacity pumps, laboratory freezers and tunnel rescue suits.
Bajracharya said the scale of destruction remained immense, with the disaster that struck along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers 20 days ago leaving communities displaced and homes, roads, bridges, hydropower facilities and other critical infrastructure badly damaged.
“Settlements have been swept away and accessibility is very difficult,” she said, adding that authorities were working to restore roads, electricity and telecommunications connectivity to affected areas.
Bajracharya said an Acrow bridge had been installed over the river along the Galchi-Trishuli road section, while road and site clearance operations continued in other affected areas.
Meanwhile, Bajracharya said the disaster had drawn greater attention to the disproportionate impact of climate change on vulnerable countries.
“Countries like Nepal are bearing the brunt of the adverse effects of climate change,” she said.
Against this backdrop, Nepal is appealing to wealthy and developed countries to make climate finance and technology more accessible to help the country build climate-resilient infrastructure, promote climate-smart agriculture and strengthen the capacity of stakeholders, she said.
— BERNAMA