Nepal estimates glacial flood reconstruction at $4.78 billion as death toll reaches 1,428

Scale of reconstruction and preliminary losses

The government of Nepal announced on 11 September that repairing the damage from the glacial flood on the northern border will cost approximately $4.78 billion. The projection, equivalent to 4.12 billion euros or 723.31 billion Nepalese rupees, was presented by Foreign Ministry spokesman Lok Bahadur Chhetri following initial sector-by-sector assessments. Relief planners allocated $57.67 million to immediate rescue and repair tasks over the next six months, while the remaining $4.71 billion is targeted for long-term reconstruction across transport, housing, and energy sectors.

“The total estimated budget for reconstruction is approximately 4.78 billion dollars.”

National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority official Dharmaraj Uprety noted that authorities calculated damages using drone surveys and comparative pre-disaster statistical data. The flood hit critical utilities, affecting 13 hydroelectric plants with a combined capacity of 759 megawatts along with five solar facilities producing 24 megawatts, which eliminated 10% of the national power supply.

Hydroelectric (13 plants)759

Solar (5 plants)24

Hydroelectric (13 plants)

759 MW

Solar (5 plants)

24 MW

Data from the article text

Casualty figures across Nepal and Tibet

The disaster began after 08:30 on 26 August when a landslide triggered a glacial collapse on the northern face of Langtang Lirung, a peak along the Nepal-China border. A wall of ice, rock, and mud surged down the Trishuli and Bhotekoshi river valleys, flattening riverside villages, roads, and bridges. As of 11 September, Nepal's emergency agency reported recovering 1,385 bodies, with 5,130 people unaccounted for. In adjacent Tibet, Chinese state media confirmed 43 deaths and 519 missing persons, raising the combined toll across both nations to 1,428 dead and 5,649 missing, with at least 5,600 injured.

Search teams continued clearing mud-choked hydroelectric tunnels where scores of workers remained trapped. Casualties included local residents as well as foreign trekkers and pilgrims from India, China, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia. While downstream settlements like Devighat (80 kilometres from the collapse site) evacuated before floodwaters swept through their town centre, upstream settlements were caught without sufficient warning. Emergency aid flights operated by helicopter from Kathmandu to remote staging grounds such as Betrawati, while families gathered at Bidur military base and Kathmandu hospitals to identify victims.

Telecommunications breakdown and satellite reforms

The flood severed dozens of kilometres of optical fibre and toppled mobile transmission towers, cutting off survivors in the valleys for multiple days. Nepal Telecommunications Authority deputy director Binod Shrestha noted that the outage demonstrated critical vulnerabilities in the domestic warning infrastructure, which relies exclusively on cellular SMS.

“We have learned lessons from this disaster. Other countries have an emergency response plan for communications, to restore them as quickly as possible.”

Officials have since explored structural shifts to permit broader satellite connectivity during crises. Under existing laws, foreign satellite providers such as Starlink face an 80% foreign direct investment cap and must operate through domestic carriers. In the immediate aftermath, local internet provider DishHome partnered with European satellite operator Eutelsat to restore regional connectivity.

Climate justice appeal at the United Nations

Nepali authorities attributed the glacial failure to accelerated Himalayan melting caused by rising global temperatures. Prime Minister Balendra Shah will lead the country's delegation to the United Nations General Assembly in New York to call for international climate assistance. Foreign Ministry Secretary General Amrit Bahadur Ra explained the government's diplomatic objective.

“He will draw the attention of the international community to the loss of human lives and property suffered by Nepal because of climate change and the disasters it causes.”