Nepal flood survivors wait in tents for new homes

Hundreds of Nepal flood survivors are living in tent shelters while they wait for permanent homes after a catastrophic Himalayan flood on August 26 killed more than 1,400 people and left more than 5,000 missing.

The flood, triggered by a mountain and glacier collapse near Nepal's border with China, sent waves through northern mountainous areas and destroyed homes, roads, bridges and settlements.

In Betrawati, in Rasuwa district, former hotel owner Shanti Dangol is living in a tent in a forest clearing with 25 other families who lost their homes. She told AFP she lost 18 relatives, two four-storey houses and her hotel, with four employees still missing.

A government report says more than 7,500 private houses were damaged in the floods. In Rasuwa district alone, more than 1,000 people are in temporary shelters, said Kamal Prasad Pandey, the district's chief administrative officer.

Pandey said officials were concerned about permanent settlement, hygiene and mental health. Dharam Raj Uprety, head of Nepal's disaster agency, said authorities were moving to search and recovery work and were working on transitional shelters and identifying resettlement areas.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah told the United Nations last month that the flooding was a warning about the rising dangers of climate change.

Kyoko Yokosuka, head of the United Nations Development Programme in Nepal, said recovery also meant restoring livelihoods, local economies and essential services.

For survivors in tents, immediate concerns include safety, hygiene, education and the approach of winter.