Nepal Flood 2026 - DREF Operation Update #01 (MDRNP022)

Please refer to the attached file.

As of 18 September 2026, CHF 5.682 million in confirmed multilateral hard pledges recorded against the CHF 18 million IFRC Secretariat Emergency Appeal (approximately 32 per cent). Continued funding is required to sustain the response and scale up early recovery interventions.

A. SITUATION ANALYSIS

Description of the crisis

On 26 August, a major avalanche occurred in the upper Bhote Koshi watershed near the China–Nepal border triggered a highly destructive debris flow and flash flood along the Bhote Koshi–Trishuli river corridor. The event caused extensive damage across Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading, affecting settlements, roads, bridges, schools, health facilities, water systems, telecommunications, markets and hydropower infrastructure. About 41 bridges along the Bhote Koshi–Trishuli river system was damaged, significantly constraining access to affected communities and disrupting essential services and livelihoods. The flood devastated infrastructure eroding the main road to Rasuwa district, rendering many communities inaccessible for territorial access.

According to the updated data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA)1 dated 21 September 2026, 1,411 people have lost their lives, 5,875 remain missing, and 13,784 have been rescued. To date, authorities have identified and handed over bodies to their families. NDRRMA cautioned that the number of people reported missing was still being verified and could include unidentified deceased persons or individuals who had subsequently been rescued. Search and recovery operations remained ongoing, particularly around affected hydropower facilities and along the river corridor.

Displacement remains a major humanitarian concern. As of 14 September, 2,418 people were staying in 33 government holding centres, including 1,499 people in Nuwakot, 825 in Rasuwa, and 94 in Dhading. The movement of people from holding centres to alternative places like host families or their own abandoned homes continues. As of 21 September, 1,342 people are taking shelter in holding centers across Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading districts2. Assessments of potential sites for temporary shelter were completed in several locations, while food, household items, and other relief supplies continued to be transported by road and helicopter to affected and difficult-to-reach areas. The Government has also initiated arrangements for temporary accommodation, including cash support for households opting for self-arranged accommodation.

The response is progressively shifting from immediate search, rescue and lifesaving relief towards restoration of essential services, temporary and transitional shelter, and early recovery. Significant needs remain in shelter, safe water and sanitation, health and MHPSS, protection, cash assistance and livelihood recovery, while damaged transport and communication infrastructure continues to affect humanitarian access and information flows. The situation also remains dynamic due to continued exposure to flooding, landslides and unstable terrain, requiring ongoing assessment, monitoring and adjustment of the response as access improves and more detailed information becomes available.

International assistance is supporting Nepal’s response through specialized search-and-rescue, forensic identification, health and humanitarian assistance. Teams from India, China, the Republic of Korea, United Arab Emirates, Malaysia, and Australia are supporting rescue operations, while forensic teams from India, China, Japan, Singapore and the Republic of Korea are assisting with DNA collection and identification of deceased persons. Nepal continues to request additional specialized equipment, including drones, LiDAR systems, Bailey bridges, DNA testing kits, underwater drones, pumps and tunnel-rescue equipment.