Nepal PM Balen Shah thanks India, China for flood aid after his minister's ‘climate compensation’ pitch

Balen Shah's expression of gratitude comes after Nepal FM Shishir Khanal's call to shift from conventional humanitarian aid to "climate compensation".

Updated on: Sep 2, 2026, 19:08:15 IST

Prefer HTon Google

Share via
Copy link

Nepal's Prime Minister Balendra Shah has thanked India, China and the US for their assistance after devastating flash floods hit the country on August 26, saying the support has played an important role in ongoing rescue and relief operations.

Speaking about the disaster, Shah said, “So far, 11,993 people have been rescued. We have not been able to establish contact with at least 3,916 people. The next day, a group of ministers travelled to the affected areas. In these difficult times, we got support from various countries, including India, China, the US, and others. We got support from various banks.”

Shah thanks India in Parliament

Addressing Parliament, Shah acknowledged the rapid response from India and China, including the deployment of emergency assistance, technical teams and relief material following the flash floods.

Deep Dive

Powered ByAsk

Rescue operations are continuing in the worst-affected areas, where the floods caused extensive destruction across parts of Nepal and the Tibet region of China. Roads, bridges, settlements and hydropower infrastructure were among those damaged.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier said he spoke to his Nepalese counterpart Balen Shah following the deadly flash flood and assured him of "all possible humanitarian assistance".

India offers specialised rescue support

India had offered specialised search and rescue assistance following the disaster. Indian teams have been involved in operations around hydropower tunnels and forensic work related to the large number of casualties and missing people.

earlier that India was the first country to physically deliver aid to Nepal after the disaster.

China has also continued rescue and recovery operations on its side of the border. Beijing has reopened the damaged G216 highway leading to the Gyirong border crossing, enabling heavy machinery, search teams and specialist equipment to access areas that were earlier reachable only through difficult mountain routes.

Nepal raises climate compensation demand

Shah's expression of gratitude comes after Nepal's foreign affairs minister Shisir Khanal called for a move away from conventional humanitarian aid towards "climate compensation" from major emitters, including India, China and the United States.

Khanal has said Nepal's contribution to global greenhouse gas emissions is negligible, while the country is facing serious consequences from changes in the Himalayan environment.

The number of people confirmed dead in China's Tibet after last week's devastating Himalayan flash floods has risen to 21, with 541 others still missing, Chinese state media reported on Wednesday.

At least 1,114 people have been confirmed killed and nearly 4,000 others are missing in neighbouring Nepal a week after a glacier collapse in the Himalayas unleashed a deluge that devastated the mountainous nation.

See Less