KATHMANDU — The World Food Programme (WFP) has higlighted its emergency response in Nepal to support communities recovering from successive floods and landslides across central and western districts.
Following the devastating August 26 floods in Rasuwa and a subsequent flash flood along the Budhi Gandaki River on October 11, WFP has provided direct multi-purpose cash assistance to 22,428 flood-affected residents in Dhading, Nuwakot, and Rasuwa. As of October 20, the agency processed first-tranche cash grants of NPR 45,000 per household for 5,216 families across 11 local government areas, helping cover six weeks of essential food and non-food needs.
Working alongside Nepal’s Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA), WFP has delivered essential food distributions in affected regions. Initial phases reached 15,700 individuals with 127 metric tons (mt) of food, followed by a second round delivering 36 mt of commodities to 4,312 people and fortified biscuits to over 600 students.
To streamline operations, the WFP-led Logistics and Telecommunications Cluster managed 2,058 cubic meters of humanitarian cargo and dispatched 714 mt of partner relief items via hubs in Kathmandu and Nuwakot. Storage capacity was further augmented with a new 1,000-square-meter facility in Dhunche, Rasuwa.
While a joint UN assessment in Gorkha indicated that immediate relief needs following the Budhi Gandaki flood are largely met through government actions and functioning markets, challenges remain. UN agencies noted that medium-term recovery continues to present hurdles for displaced households dealing with land tenure and compensation issues related to the Budhigandaki Hydropower Project.
