LocationsThe scale of what has been lost is becoming clearer
One month after Nepal’s floods, the long road to recovery begins
September 25, 2026
A month after the floods in Nepal, the scale of the disaster is becoming clearer. As the emergency response continues, communities wonder what comes next.
Photo: UNDP Nepal
A month ago, water, rock and mud tore through the valleys of northern Nepal with little warning.
High in the Himalayas, a huge section of glacier and bedrock had broken away from the north face of Langtang Lirung peak and plunged thousands of feet into the Lhende river below, triggering the deadly cascade.
Within minutes, homes were swept away. Roads and bridges vanished beneath floodwater and debris. Families were separated from loved ones.
The disaster left thousands of people dead or missing, and communities displaced and cut off from the roads, services and livelihoods they depend on.
The scale of the challenge
For those now returning to the worst-affected areas, the destruction is difficult to comprehend, including some 7,570 buildings.
“The landscape has completely changed,” says Siddhartha Sharma, National Project Coordinator with UNDP Nepal. “In some places, the river has shifted sideways as much as 100 metres.”
Sharma worked on Nepal’s response to the 2015 earthquake. He says the floods have left a different kind of destruction.
“The devastation from the floods is much more intense than the earthquake. Nothing is left,” he said. “What used to be a thriving town with schools, markets and homes, now it is just rocks and sand.”
From response to recovery
In Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading districts, the emergency response continues. At the same time, another task is becoming urgent: clearing the way forward.
Large amounts of mud, sediment and rubble have been deposited. Many roads remain blocked. Farmland has been buried. Buildings and public facilities have been damaged or destroyed.
Government assessments estimate around 1 million cubic metres of debris and sediment may need to be cleared.
UNDP is supporting National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority-Nepal in using drones and field assessments to map the damage, giving authorities a clearer picture of where debris has accumulated and where access needs to be restored first.
The information received from a team of experts from HELP-NGO can help local authorities decide where to clear debris, reopen roads and begin repairs.
UNDP is supporting the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority in using drones and field assessments to map the damage.
Photo: UNDP Nepal
The government estimates that Nepal will need around US$4.7 billion for recovery and reconstruction.
Photo: UNDP Nepal
“We need to rebuild more safely and make communities more resilient.”— Kyoko Yokosuka, UNDP Resident Representative in Nepal
Supporting local government
From the outset, UNDP has been supporting local government authorities in assessing damage, restoring services and planning repairs with affected communities.
In Uttargaya and Gosiakunda, rural municipalities worst hit by the floods, UNDP supported local governments with essential equipment and supplies to help resume critical services.
Also, through five UN Volunteers deployed in local government offices to support assessments, coordination and planning, UNDP is supporting municipalities to restore essential functions, repair priority community infrastructure and prepare for the next phase.
Rebuilding for a new reality
The government estimates that Nepal will need around US$4.7 billion for recovery and reconstruction.
The floods have damaged much of the infrastructure that connects and supports these communities. Around 70 kilometres of roads and 80 bridges were damaged, with some road sections completely washed away. Thirteen hydropower projects were affected, along with more than 150 kilometres of telecommunications fibre.
In places where rivers have changed course and entire settlements have been buried, authorities will have to decide what can be rebuilt, where it can be rebuilt and how it can withstand future floods.
For communities, those decisions will determine when roads reopen, when businesses and farms can operate again, and when damaged public facilities can return to use.
UNDP is supporting government authorities with damage mapping, debris management and information to help identify priorities.
“We need to rebuild more safely and make communities more resilient,” says Kyoko Yokosuka, UNDP Resident Representative in Nepal.
The floods have damaged the infrastructure that connects and supports communities. Around 70 kilometres of roads and 80 bridges were damaged.
Photo: UNDP Nepal
The work ahead
A month after the floods, the scale of what has been lost is becoming clearer. But for many families, the immediate question is what happens next.
Arjun Tamang, a UN Volunteer supporting data management under the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, visited flood-affected communities in Belkotgadhi Municipality in Nuwakot this week.
“Many affected families are still living with uncertainty,” he says. “People are expressing concerns about long-term recovery, including safe settlement, reconstruction of homes and restoration of livelihoods.”
For those who lived through the floods, rebuilding will mean more than restoring what was lost.
“Communities are still in shock and grieving,” says Yokosuka. “We can rebuild what has been destroyed, but we cannot bring back the lives that have been lost. Our priority now is to help communities through the crisis and begin the long road to recovery.”
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