A month after floods wrecked large areas in Nepal, its new government is intensifying efforts to support reconstruction.
asserted
government → wreck → reconstruction
Nepal’s Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle, an economist and former UNDP official, made his first visit abroad to Delhi to discuss plans with the government, and will soon travel to meetings of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), International Monetary Fund (IMF), and the World Bank to seek support for an estimated $5 billion recovery project.
asserted
Wagle → make → project
In an exclusive interview with The Hindu, Mr. Wagle said the new Balen Shah government in Nepal wants a “reset” with India, and a revision of old trade and connectivity projects, including the push for long-delayed overflight rights for Nepal airports, and managing difficult issues, such as the border dispute, in a “constructive” manner.
asserted
government → say → manner
We have been able to do two very rapid assessments, one by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, which was set up in the immediate aftermath of the 2015 earthquake.
asserted
which → do → earthquake
Relying on government sources and government statistics, they came up with a figure of about $1.8 billion in direct damages and around $900 million in losses, but all that’s at replacement value.
asserted
that → rely → value
However, we are not going to replace what existed before, but rebuild for resilience in the future, and that’s going to be more costly.
asserted
that → go → future
We are estimating $4.7-5 billion in reconstruction needs over the next three to five years.
asserted
We → estimate → years
How can India help?
asserted
India → help → ?
What specifically did you discuss during your visit to Delhi about projects that India can be involved in?
asserted
India → discuss → that
India has been very supportive, very proactive, even in reaching out to us, and we are keen to explore ways we can reset and renew Indo-Nepal ties.
asserted
we → reach → ties
We have talked about some big signature projects or forms of assistance, which I think can be adapted to the reconstruction needs.
asserted
I → talk → needs
After the 2015 earthquake, India had given us about $250 million of grant assistance, and $750 million as a Line of Credit.
asserted
India → give → Credit
And [the late former External Affairs Minister] Ms. Sushma Swaraj was able to announce in Kathmandu a billion dollars worth of support, which was received very positively.
asserted
which → announce → support
Lines of Credit are more amenable to energy-related projects, and we are keen to borrow from India.
asserted
we → relate → India
In December last year (2025), there was an agreement that any subsequent Indian assistance in the form of a Line of Credit would be denominated in INR (Indian rupee), which is good for us, which is what we asked, and I think there are only a few countries to which India extends that facility.
asserted
India → be → facility
Some of those Lines of Credit would need to go into the rehabilitation of our energy infrastructure.
asserted
Some → need → infrastructure
Now, publicly built hydropower plants, transmission lines, and substations would ideally be addressed through concessional credit.
asserted
plants → build → credit
But projects like roads and bridges, and even public housing, I think, would benefit from grant-based assistance.
asserted
I → think → assistance
We leave it to the Government of India to organise their package in a way they feel appropriate.
asserted
they → leave → way
In 2015, I was in the government at the time as a member of the National Planning Commission, but charged with very much the same task of assessing the damage and losses.
asserted
I → charge → damage
At the time, we came up with an eight-billion-dollar figure — four billion in public, four billion in private — but the estimates were so credible that when we went to the international community and said we needed $4 billion of public assistance, we got a pledge of $4 billion.
asserted
we → come → billion
This time around, it’s going to be slightly different, because unlike the earthquake, which covered a vast territory, the flood has been much more concentrated, but the human fatalities have been comparable.
asserted
fatalities → go → territory
You know, when the final numbers are confirmed, we fear they will be in the region of 8,000-10,000 [lives lost].
asserted
they → know → lives
So, it’s roads, bridges, suspension bridges, public and private housing, and hydropower.
asserted
it → ’ → ?
Nepal’s Foreign Minister had also said that the big climate polluters — India, China, and the U.S. — bear some of the responsibility for this flooding, and that they owe Nepal reparations.
asserted
they → say → reparations
Would you agree?
asserted
you → agree → ?
At this point in time, I think that line of thinking is rather unhelpful for us and for countries that have generously stepped in to help.
asserted
that → think → countries
However, some of these issues will come up at CoP (Conference of the Parties), including the next one in Turkiye (in November 2026).
asserted
some → come → November
It was a long struggle to set up the loss and damage fund, but it is completely unfit for purpose and inadequate.
asserted
it → set → purpose
Just to make the effort, we did write to them.
asserted
we → make → them
And I think a modest amount of $20 million was granted.
asserted
amount → think → million
So, I hope we will be able to restart the discourse.
asserted
we → hope → discourse
We need to look at this event scientifically — and the world weather attribution group has concluded that climate change contributed to the thaw of the permafrost and to glacial thinning.
asserted
change → need → thinning
A Dutch scientist told me that the portion of the rock that collapsed and then dropped almost 1,200 m might have been buried under ice for 30 million years, but because of global warming, it would have been exposed in the last 30 years.
uncertain
it → tell → years
All sorts of global warming effects are visible in the Himalaya — and permafrost, the mud, the mountain wall that was held together is now just cracking up.
asserted
that → hold → Himalaya
Given this conclusion, is Nepal rethinking the way it plans big development projects, mass tourism, and mega hydropower dams?
asserted
it → give → projects
It’s just that we need to do things differently and learn from some of the conspicuous errors that we might have made — for example, tunnels built too close to the river banks, and without more than one point for entry and exit.
uncertain
we → ’ → entry
We also need to review our expensively constructed highways right on the river bank, like the Japanese-built B.P. Koirala Highway from Dhulikhel to Simboli that was swept away last year.
asserted
that → need → Simboli
Nepal’s first highway, from Kathmandu to Raxaul/Birgunj, was built by India (in 1956), and it went along the ridges of the mountains and can withstand the weather.
asserted
it → build → weather
Subsequently, however, we started to build along the river, which was easier, but makes us more vulnerable to floods.
asserted
us → start → floods
…and 88 more, not listed.
The Aporia
