Nepal seeks recovery support before COP31 after a glacier collapse flood, with damage put at 2.7 billion dollars
5 November 2026
The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Nepal, Lila Pieters Yahia, said the country needs international solidarity to recover from floods that struck ten weeks ago.
A glacier gave way on 26 August at the border with China's Tibet Autonomous Region, sending a torrent down 150 km of Himalayan valleys.
More than 1,450 people were killed, nearly 5,000 are missing and over 84,000 were affected, with homes, schools, power grids and 115 bridges damaged.
The World Bank puts the damage at 2.7 billion dollars and estimates recovery will cost 4.7 billion dollars.
Nepal expects 21.5 million dollars from the loss and damage fund, which its authorities say falls far short of the need.
Many women who lost husbands now support whole households, often while carrying heavy debt.
Nepal and Bhutan want the needs of mountainous countries placed on the agenda of the climate conference at Antalya.
In plain words
loss and damage fund the climate fund for countries hit by climate harm — It was agreed under the UN climate convention to help countries already suffering climate damage.