Kathmandu, August 30: Relief and rescue operations are ongoing in Nepal following severe floods and landslides. According to Rajan Bhattarai, a former foreign policy advisor to ex-Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, the biggest challenge for rescue teams is saving individuals trapped in tunnels. In an exclusive interview, he mentioned efforts to safely evacuate people from a hydroelectric project tunnel in Rasuwa district.
Bhattarai stated, “It has been five days since the disaster. There is still a significant number of people believed to be trapped inside the tunnel. Ensuring their safe extraction remains the government’s top priority. The first challenge for the rescue operation is to safely retrieve those suspected to be inside the tunnel. Extracting them has become the greatest challenge.”
He noted that the Nepalese government has requested assistance from neighboring countries, India and China, to provide experts and necessary support for the difficult operation to rescue those trapped in the tunnel.
He further explained, “Another challenge lies in Rasuwa. Many people are still there without homes. Some are pilgrims. Just yesterday, they managed to leave because the roads were destroyed after the disaster. The Bagmati administration has repaired some roads, allowing around 2,000 people to evacuate.”
Discussing other challenges, he added, “My sources indicate that severely injured individuals in higher areas are unable to evacuate. We do not have enough helicopters; this is also a challenge. Additionally, the disposal of bodies, treatment of the injured, and providing shelter are major concerns.”
When asked about the priorities of the relief and rescue operations, he emphasized that saving lives is paramount. He stated that it is crucial to locate and safely extract those still trapped in the tunnel, the forests of Rasuwa, or other remote areas. Providing immediate basic medical care to the injured is also essential.
On disaster management and early warning systems in Nepal, Bhattarai remarked, “We do not have a strong early warning system. The existing system was washed away in this flood. The scale of this flood and the damage is unimaginable. Our experts did not anticipate such a situation. Neither did Chinese and Indian experts foresee this level of disaster.”
He stressed the need to strengthen cooperation in disaster management among Nepal, India, and China, as natural disasters do not respect borders.
Despite five days having passed, Bhattarai expressed dissatisfaction with the relief and rescue operations. He stated that thousands of people are still missing, and determining their whereabouts is a significant challenge.
He concluded, “This is the fifth day, but we cannot say we are satisfied. A large number of people, thousands, are still missing. No one knows where they are or how to find them. Many are deprived of basic necessities. They have been exposed to the open sky for five days without the essentials needed to survive and move forward.”
He clarified that, under the current circumstances, the relief and rescue efforts cannot be deemed sufficient.
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