Nepal’s catastrophic floods must be a wake-up call on climate action as death toll passes 1,000

• A week on, search and rescue operations and humanitarian aid efforts are a desperate race against time.
• Almost 4,000 people are missing, and some 50,000 people urgently need access to clean water, sanitation and hygiene. 
• Nepal produces just 0.1 per cent of global emissions, yet communities are paying a devastating price as climate impacts and loss and damages escalate.

The catastrophic floods in Nepal are a stark warning of what a hotter world will mean for communities on the climate frontline and why governments and donors must invest now in climate resilience, adaptation and disaster preparedness, rather than waiting for the next disaster to strike, Oxfam has warned.

A week after the devastating floods, rescuers are still scrambling to reach people cut off by destroyed roads, bridges and landslides. Oxfam and local partners are racing to deliver life-saving assistance, but the scale of the destruction is making access to some of the worst-affected areas, particularly Rasuwa, increasingly difficult.

Santosh Pandey, Oxfam in Nepal's Humanitarian and Disaster Risk Management Lead said “Nepal contributes just 0.1 per cent of global emissions, yet our communities are paying a devastating price as climate impacts and loss and damages escalate.

“Nepal’s devastating floods should be a wake-up call for governments and donors. We cannot keep waiting for disasters to happen. In a burning world, climate shocks will become more frequent here and communities need the resources to prepare, adapt and become more resilient before the next disaster strikes.”

The Government of Nepal estimates that 10,000 households – around 50,000 people – require immediate access to clean water, toilets and hygiene, with thousands more in need of shelter and food.

Oxfam launched an emergency response a day after the floods struck. It is working with local authorities and partners in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading to reach some of the worst-affected communities.

The major flash flood on 26 August was triggered by a massive glacier collapse and ice-rock avalanche that blocked the Lhende Khola, 20km north of the Rasuwagadhi checkpoint. At least 1,000 people have been killed and 3,916 remain unaccounted for, while more than 50,000 people have been displaced or temporarily moved from their homes.

Nepal is highly exposed to floods, landslides and earthquakes. Climate change is adding further pressure through rapidly changing glaciers, snow and water systems and increasingly unpredictable extreme weather. The Himalayan region also faces growing risks from glacial floods in the years ahead.

Oxfam said far more investment is needed in climate adaptation, early warning systems, disaster preparedness and resilient infrastructure, to distribute climate risk more equally across societies. More equal societies bear less of the burden of climate impacts.

“The lesson from Nepal is clear: resilience saves lives,” said Pandey. “If we only fund the response after a disaster, we will always be one step behind. Communities need sustained investment to prepare for the shocks we know are coming.

“But for now our focus must be on action – we are in a race against time to save lives and support everyone affected.”

Oxfam also warned about the limits of climate adaptation and early warning systems once climate disasters strike with such force. What happened in Nepal calls for the acceleration of loss and damage finance that responds to these kinds of crises.

The Nepalese government formally wrote to the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD), requesting emergency financing to respond to the massive destruction caused by the Bhotekoshi floods, stating that the scale of the disaster exceeds Nepal’s domestic resources and immediate response capacity.

Pandey added: We know that shelter, food and emergency hygiene kits are desperately needed. We are doing everything possible to reach the affected populations, but against such immense need, our contribution feels overwhelmingly small.”

Oxfam has deployed 200 hygiene kits and 1,000 water purification tablets to Rasuwa and distributed water, sanitation and hygiene and food assistance in other affected communities. It is also preparing to scale up its response over the next six months, aiming to reach 2,000 households – around 10,000 people – with life-saving assistance.