As part of the UN response, UNDP is working with the Government of Nepal and local authorities to help communities recover. Its work focuses on assessing damage, supporting recovery planning, clearing debris and helping people restore their livelihoods.
Supporting communities rebuild
UNDP is supporting the shift from emergency response to recovery and development, working with national and local authorities, the wider UN system, NGOs, the private sector and the community.
Assessing the damage: Satellite imagery and drones are helping map affected areas, identify damage and guide decisions on debris clearance and reconstruction.
Helping local authorities plan: UN Volunteers are supporting municipalities to collect and manage data, helping local authorities understand needs and plan recovery.
Clearing debris: Through cash-for-work initiatives, UNDP with support from Switzerland, is helping people clear debris, reopen affected areas and earn an income as their communities recover.
The UN's Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage (FRLD) has provisionally set aside USD 21.6 million for Nepal's recovery. The scale of the damage means Nepal will need sustained support to rebuild.
Stories of resilience and partnership
Behind the recovery are the people and communities affected by the floods, as well as those working to help them rebuild. Discover their experiences and the partnerships supporting Nepal's recovery.
Stories of resilience and partnership
Stories of resilience and partnership
In the flood-hit communities, we met four people whose lives were changed in minutes. These are their stories of people trying to piece their lives back together after losing family, livelihoods and the places they called home.
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Stories of resilience and partnership
No kites in Nepal’s skies this Dashain
How floods have changed Dashain for families in affected mountain communities.
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Stories of resilience and partnership
One month after the floods: The road to recovery begins
How damage mapping and local planning are helping shape Nepal’s recovery.
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Stories of resilience and partnership
Nepal’s recovery starts with rebuilding lives
In Nuwakot, families face the daunting task of starting over.
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Stories of resilience and partnership
What happens in the mountains does not stay in the mountains
UNDP Nepal's Resident Representative calls for international support for Nepal's recovery.
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Stories of resilience and partnership
Republic of Korea, NDRRMA, and UNDP strengthen emergency response
New equipment is helping Nepal improve emergency response and damage assessments.
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Stories of resilience and partnership
Nepal floods leave millions of tonnes of debris, threatening communities
UNDP is using satellite mapping to target clearance and guide safe reconstruction.
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Video testimonials and perspectives
1. Moving beyond crisis: UNDP's Deputy Resident Representative on the damage and priorities for recovery.
2. What the floods left behind: A local farmer, Pramila Gurung shares the impact of the floods on her home and livelihood.
3. Stories from the ground in Nuwakot: Residents and a UN Volunteer explain why debris clearance matters for recovery
4. A trail of destruction: Madhav Rijal, a farmer, recounts his experience of the floods
5. Nepal Floods 2026: A look at the destruction and its impact on local businesses and communities.
Leadership insights and international media interviews
1. Kyoko Yokosuka on Channel News Asia: UNDP Nepal's Resident Representative discusses the floods, recovery efforts and building resilience to future disasters.
2. Kanni Wignaraja on Nepal's climate risks: The UN Assistant Secretary-General and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific discusses climate vulnerability, livelihoods and the need for greater financial support.
3. The UN Resident Coordinator on Nepal's response: An update on humanitarian assistance, climate justice and international solidarity.
Nepal Floods in the Global Spotlight
The August 2026 flood has garnered significant coverage from leading global news organizations. Below is an overview of how international journalists have reported on the disaster and analyzing its implications with insights from UNDP’s senior management.
Nepal Floods in the Global Spotlight
Nepal plans to drain four glacial lakes after deadly floods
In a high-stakes move to protect millions downstream, Nepal is launching a $50-million climate project co-funded by the Green Climate Fund, the government, and UNDP to drain four of the nation's most dangerous high-altitude glacial lakes. This critical six-year initiative—which targets the highly volatile Thulagi, Lower Barun, Lumding Tsho, and Hongu II lakes identified in a landmark UNDP and ICIMOD hazard report—will construct regulated drainage canals alongside advanced flood-warning sensors to prevent future catastrophic breaches.
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Nepal Floods in the Global Spotlight
No time to issue a warning
With Nepal's flood death toll exceeding 1,000, UNDP Resident Representative Kyoko Yokosuka warned that climate change is "literally melting the glue" holding the Himalayas together, with the country losing nearly a third of its ice volume in just 30 years. Because the catastrophic Rasuwa avalanche-flood occurred with no warning, UNDP is urging governments to leverage advanced satellite and Alps-style engineering technologies to monitor melting permafrost, while actively strengthening downstream community preparedness and early warning coordination.
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Nepal Floods in the Global Spotlight
Himalayas face severe glacial flood risks in years ahead, UN official warns
In the wake of the devastating Langtang Lirung glacier collapse, UNDP Asia-Pacific Director Kanni Wignaraja warned that highly glacier-dependent Nepal faces "very hard choices" as millions of vulnerable residents cannot afford to relocate from increasingly uninhabitable riverbanks. UNDP advocates for building more resilient grid infrastructure, as Wignaraja stressed that engineering alone cannot stop such catastrophic natural surges, demanding urgent economic and survival strategies for the region.
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Nepal Floods in the Global Spotlight
Nepal-Tibet floods: millions at risk from glacial floods in Himalayas in years to come, UN warns
UN Assistant Secretary-General Kanni Wignaraja has warned that the Himalayan region faces severe, rising glacial flood risks, with recent Nepal-Tibet floods already knocking out 10% of Nepal’s power capacity. Highlighting the scale of the threat, UNDP updated data indicating that the population at risk now "goes into the millions" as accelerating glacier melt destabilizes riverbanks and threatens to make entire valleys uninhabitable.
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Nepal Floods in the Global Spotlight
UNDP in Nepal appeals for international support
UNDP Resident Representative Yokosuka Kyoko highlightied severe infrastructure damage to roads and bridges that continues to isolate communities and block critical deliveries of food and medicine. The recovery faces a monumental, months-long cleanup challenge as teams work to clear a massive pile of soil and debris.
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