Nepal focuses on rehabilitation after ending flood-related searches and rescue

Nepal has ended the search and rescue operation for those still missing after the devastating flood in August that killed at least 1,455 people, officials say.

Phanindra Paudel, chief of the National Emergency Operation Centre, said authorities were considering how to legally declare the missing persons dead to allow their families or relatives to complete insurance, banking and other legal formalities.

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority chief Dharam Raj Uprety said authorities would no longer actively search for bodies but would recover any remains, property or other valuables found during the rehabilitation process. Nepal will begin a high-stakes effort to drain four glacial lakes perched high in the mountains as it scrambles to reduce flood risks, officials said, with the aim to lower the risk of the lakes breaching their natural dams and reduce the risk of downstream floods.

Canals will drain water into nearby rivers in a regulated way, he said, adding that workers faced health risks as a result of the lengthy periods of high-altitude work required, in addition to the dangers of sudden flooding. There will be design work and detailed studies targeting the central and eastern lakes of Thulagi, Lower Barun, Lumding Tsho and Hongu II, authorities said.

The work of draining “through gated structures” will start after a detailed study, and could take up to six years to complete, said Sanjeeb Baral, the Centre’s executive director.