EU Provides Humanitarian Aid to Support Drought-Affected Communities in Nepal

Kathmandu: The European Union (EU) has announced €200,000 (over NPR 32 million) in humanitarian funding to support people affected by the ongoing drought in Nepal, which has impacted around 1.2 million individuals, particularly in Madhesh Province.

The funding will enable the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS), with support from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), to deliver urgent relief assistance. This includes water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) support such as water trucking, installation of deep tube wells, and health and hygiene promotion. The aid will directly benefit an estimated 60,000 people facing acute water shortages.

Two and a half months into the monsoon season, large parts of Madhesh Province continue to experience severe rainfall deficits, causing drinking water scarcity, damaging agriculture, and threatening food security in Nepal’s primary rice-growing region. All 136 municipalities of the province have been declared drought-affected.

The EU’s support is part of its overall contribution to the IFRC’s Disaster Response Emergency Fund (DREF), which provides rapid financial assistance for small- to medium-scale emergencies worldwide. Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the EU remains one of the world’s leading donors, helping save lives and safeguard the dignity of populations affected by natural and man-made crises.