Nepal’s hour of need

The human toll of Nepal’s devastating floods could prove far greater than the figures available at present suggest. With thousands still unaccounted for, the final number of lives lost could potentially run into several thousand. The destruction of homes, roads, bridges, public facilities, hydropower projects and other vital infrastructure will impose an enormous financial burden on a country with limited resources. However, beyond the eventual cost of reconstruction lies a more immediate and compelling humanitarian emergency- the desperate plight of those who have survived. Thousands of survivors have lost their homes, possessions and livelihoods overnight. Many are without roofs over their heads, exposed to relentless rain and cold winds. Children, the elderly and other vulnerable people are particularly at risk. For them, reconstruction plans months or years from now offer little comfort. Their needs are immediate: shelter tonight, safe drinking water, food, medicines, blankets and basic sanitation. The urgency cannot be overstated. Floodwaters can contaminate drinking-water sources and cripple sanitation systems, creating the conditions for outbreaks of water- and food-borne diseases. Every day that clean water and adequate food fail to reach affected communities increases the danger. Roads and communication networks must also be restored sufficiently to ensure that remote and isolated settlements are not forgotten simply because they are difficult to reach. The eventual bill for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction could run into thousands of crores of rupees. For Nepal, a country whose financial resources are limited, meeting such an extraordinary burden alone will be immensely difficult. This is therefore a moment for the international community to demonstrate that humanitarian solidarity is more than a slogan. Nepal needs generous assistance and it needs it urgently. Governments, particularly its neighbours and other friendly nations, must be prepared to provide substantial financial, logistical and technical support. International humanitarian agencies, charitable organisations, businesses and civil society groups can supplement that effort with food, medicines, tents, blankets, water-purification equipment and other essential supplies. Medical teams and rescue specialists may be equally important in reaching communities where conventional relief is difficult. But humanitarian assistance should not be measured only in millions or billions. Individuals, too, can contribute. A modest donation, multiplied across thousands of people, can become a lifeline for families who have lost everything. There will be time later to assess whether adequate preparations were made, whether early warnings reached vulnerable communities and whether some of the destruction could have been mitigated. There will also be time to calculate the economic losses and rebuild what the floods have swept away. However, for now, the priority must be the living. Nepal’s tragedy must not become yesterday’s news while survivors remain exposed to the elements. The world must not wait for the floodwaters to recede before responding. Every family sheltered, every child fed, every person given clean water and every patient provided medical care is a life protected from the secondary consequences of disaster. The dead deserve to be mourned, but the living must be helped. Nepal needs more than expressions of sympathy. It needs compassion translated into action, and action on a scale proportionate to the catastrophe. Governments must open their resources, organisations must mobilise relief, and those who can give should give generously. For those unable to contribute materially, there is still something meaningful to offer: solidarity, compassion and prayers for a nation in anguish.