Nepal floods: Indian volunteers provide aid to isolated communities

For nearly 20 family members in Trishuli, one room has become home after devastating floods destroyed houses, cut roads and left several families with basic amenities. A week later, Indian volunteers travel up to 10 hours over damaged mountain roads and bridges to bring food, bedding and household necessities to such communities, while some areas of Rasuwa remain accessible only by helicopter.

Relief efforts are increasingly shifting from accessible flood-affected areas to isolated settlements where families have lost homes, livestock, property and livelihoods, but terrain and damaged infrastructure make it difficult to reach them.

“Almost a week after the floods, relief is slowly coming in some of the more accessible areas, but our biggest challenge now is to reach the families who have been most severely affected and remain isolated,” Manohar Naidu, a Khalsa Aid volunteer, told The Hindu in Nepal.

In Trishuli, Tupche and other remote communities, volunteers found several families living together with a small shelter or basic household equipment. Some, they said, essentially lost everything.

Volunteers also described mass burials being carried out when morgues ran out of space, with forest floor cleared to accommodate the bodies, as the death toll rises and many remain unidentified.

“Our immediate support focuses on basic assistance such as food, clothing, bedding and basic household needs. We are also assessing and documenting what each community will need for longer-term recovery,” Mr Naidu said.

Getting to the affected communities became a major logistical challenge. Some journeys from Kathmandu to areas such as Trishuli take nine to 10 hours, with damaged or completely washed-out roads and bridges forcing volunteers to take longer routes. Teams travel in lorries carrying supplies, while demand for 4×4 vehicles has soared, making arrangements more difficult and forcing suppliers to raise prices.

The problem is more acute in Rasuwa, where some affected areas have no road connections and helicopters are the only practical option. Each trip can cost around $2,000, which significantly increases the cost of providing aid.

“So the challenge is not just to have the relief material available. The biggest challenge is to get that help to the families who need it the most,” Mr Naidu said.

The organization sources supplies locally, but demand outstrips availability of mattresses, solar lights and other household items.

“People need a lot more than just food. They are asking how they are going to rebuild their lives,” Mr Naidu said.

The next phase will require shelter, clean water and sanitation, and the return of children to education, followed by rebuilding livelihoods and rebuilding homes, roads, bridges and community infrastructure.

Khalsa Aid had earlier suggested adopting inaccessible villages for longer-term support. The proposal is assessed in terms of the extent of damage, affected families, loss of livelihoods and infrastructure needs, with the aim of concentrating resources on hard-hit communities rather than spreading aid on a thin scale.

The organization is also considering temporary detention centers with mattresses, portable washrooms and cooking facilities for families living together without basic amenities.

Ten Indian volunteers are currently involved in logistics, evaluation, packaging and distribution. Many of them have previous experience responding to disasters, including the recent floods in Assam, but Nepal presented additional challenges in the form of mountainous terrain, long journeys and limited electricity and internet connections.

The organization also requested official permission to clear debris in local areas to restore connectivity and facilitate access to affected communities.

Published – 04 Sep 2026 20:15 IST