After devastating floods ravaged the country practically all over Nepal, the country is now faced with a huge reconstruction and rehabilitation task. Sunday’s official estimate of the reconstruction of the stricken infrastructure and assistance to the developing rescue and recovery process could amount to “billions of dollars,” said Foreign Minister ShisirKhanal Saturday.
“This will take a detailed home-to-home appraisal to work out a reconstruction plan, which would be decided by the government,” Khanal said in a conference in Kathmandu with reporters. He also called upon the international community to provides financial and technical support, with the urgent need being to rescue the people who are alive and save lives in the highest numbers possible.
Developing the situation, three days after the disaster, has put a huge strain on the country’s resources. Officials have reported that rescue workers have found 675 bodies and released more than 2,426 people are still missing.
The other big challenge facing the authorities is that of preserving and identifying bodies that have been recovered from the floodwater. Khanal claims the bodies of hundreds of people have been recovered downstream and are likely to start decomposing quickly after spending more time in the water.
Long-term preservation is a challenge due to poor capacity in healthcare facilities in Nepal. The government has thus called for help with the provision of refrigerators and is weighing freezing vans for the safe keeping of the dead bodies till their relatives could be reached.
The other key problem is identification, with the police asking help from across the globe with regard to forensic methods. The process is challenging due to limited capacity for collecting DNA, testing, and reporting in Nepal, added Khanal.
A massive rehabilitation effort is underway as the government tries to coordinate recovery efforts and lack of foreign aid is being brought to its attention, with international sympathy and assistance not yet being forthcoming.