King Gyanendra Expresses Deep Sorrow over Rasuwa Floods, Calls for Joint Nepal-China Disaster Management
Dragon Media Correspondent
His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev has expressed deep sorrow over the loss of life, property and infrastructure caused by the severe flooding along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river corridors, including in Rasuwa, and has called for a united and effective response in search, rescue, relief and medical treatment.
In a message to the nation issued on Wednesday by the Dialogue Secretariat at Nirmal Niwas, His Majesty referred to the devastating flood that entered the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems from Tibet Autonomous Region of China and affected riverside areas in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha, Chitwan and Nawalparasi.
The message noted that the disaster caused extensive damage to markets, settlements, roads, bridges, hydropower projects, other physical infrastructure and agricultural land in areas along the river.
His Majesty expressed heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and prayed for eternal peace for those who lost their lives in the disaster. He also wished the injured a speedy recovery and stressed the need to intensify the search for security personnel and civilians who remain missing or out of contact.
The message urged all concerned authorities to ensure there is no shortfall in search, rescue, relief and medical treatment during this difficult period. It called on the government, security agencies, civil servants, local governments, social organizations and citizens to work together and contribute from their respective areas to make rescue and relief operations more effective.
His Majesty placed particular emphasis on the need for joint Nepal-China cooperation in managing cross-border natural disasters.
The message said that when a natural disaster in one neighboring country directly affects another country sharing the border, joint bilateral efforts can be more effective than separate responses in reducing losses and managing future emergencies.
His Majesty further highlighted the importance of strengthening institutional cooperation between Nepal and China in cross-border river monitoring, early-warning information sharing, search and rescue, risk reduction and emergency coordination.
The call for stronger bilateral disaster-management cooperation comes as flooding and landslides around the Rasuwa-Gyirong border region have caused significant damage to roads, bridges, electricity, communications and other infrastructure on both sides.
The message concluded with the prayer, “May Lord Pashupatinath bless us all. Jai Nepal.”
The message was issued from Nirmal Niwas on Bhadau 10.
