Government Prepares Field Surveys to Verify Flood Damage

The government is preparing to send technical teams to areas devastated by the recent Bhote Koshi and Trishuli floods to verify preliminary damage estimates and establish the resources needed for reconstruction.

The field surveys will underpin a Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), the first phase of which authorities aim to complete within a month.

An earlier Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA), prepared jointly by the National Planning Commission and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, estimated physical damage at Rs 274.48 billion and the overall impact at Rs 408.28 billion. It put reconstruction needs at more than Rs 723 billion.

That assessment drew on drone footage, available administrative data, modelling and calibration to estimate the destruction across Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. The planned fieldwork will check those findings against conditions on the ground.

“Field surveys for the PDNA will verify the damage estimates in the RDNA,” said Dr Gunakar Bhatta, vice chairman of the National Planning Commission. “The government will send technical teams to the affected areas for this purpose.”

The teams will survey damaged infrastructure, homes and businesses and examine the effects on public services, agriculture, tourism and other economic activities. Their findings will help establish direct physical damage, economic losses, replacement costs and reconstruction needs.

“Our target is to complete the field surveys and establish economic losses and the resources needed to replace and rebuild damaged assets within a month,” Bhatta said.

The assessment will cover the impact on businesses and households alongside damage to government infrastructure.

Six thematic committees, each led by a commission member, have been formed to oversee the assessment. The commission is preparing survey questionnaires, holding sectoral discussions and making arrangements for the fieldwork, Bhatta said.

Once the first phase is complete, the government will decide on reconstruction priorities and financing. The findings will help clarify how much funding can be raised domestically and how much external assistance will be required.

The government then plans to approach development partners and donor agencies for support and organise a donor conference once reconstruction needs and available financing are clearer.

Following the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, the government similarly used a detailed PDNA to establish reconstruction needs before holding an international reconstruction conference to secure pledges from donor countries and development partners.

Planning Beyond Reconstruction

According to Bhatta, the second phase will extend beyond reconstruction to consider Nepal’s development strategy over the longer term. This work will be linked to the commission’s planned Nepal Development Vision 2050, with greater emphasis on climate change and disaster risks.

The commission announced plans to prepare the vision in its annual work plan for this year. The document is intended to set Nepal’s development direction, identify priorities and sources of growth, and guide resource allocation.

Bhatta said that when the plan was first announced, the commission had not envisaged examining climate change in the depth now considered necessary.

“The recent disaster has shown that climate change and Nepal’s geographical vulnerability must be central to its development strategy,” he said.

The floods have highlighted the need to account for changes in the Himalayan region, melting snow and ice, risks within river systems and environmental sensitivity when planning development, he added.

“The development strategy prepared after the floods will address reconstruction while also reconsidering Nepal’s geographical risks, settlement planning, infrastructure design and capacity to withstand future disasters,” Bhatta said.

This phase will take longer than the initial assessment because it requires detailed studies, policy analysis and consultations with stakeholders, according to the commission.

Six Committees to Assess the Impact

The six thematic committees will examine the disaster’s effects across the economy and identify recovery needs.

The macroeconomic management committee will assess the impact on the wider economy, public finances, production, employment and economic activity.

The infrastructure committee will examine damage to roads, irrigation systems, urban infrastructure and settlements, alongside reconstruction needs. The social sector committee will assess the effects on education, health and social welfare.

The productive sectors committee will study damage to agriculture, tourism and industry, disruptions to production and the resources needed for recovery.

The environment committee will examine climate change, changes in the Himalayan region, melting snow and ice, environmental risks and disaster risk reduction.

The committee on crosscutting issues will address governance, workforce management and coordination among agencies and sectors.

Oversight and Coordination

The PDNA will operate under a structure with three levels, established through the Cabinet decision of August 28 and the approved procedures.

A steering committee chaired by the commission’s vice chairman will include commission members and secretaries from the relevant ministries. The six thematic committees will work under its direction.

A technical committee chaired by the commission’s secretary will coordinate with ministries and oversee the technical work.

The final assessment will consolidate the field data, sectoral studies and technical analysis produced through this process.