National Mourning Must Be More Than a Ritual of Lowering the Flag

Nepal will observe national mourning tomorrow, September 7, in memory of those who lost their lives in the Bhotekoshi floods. The national flag will be flown at half-mast at government offices and Nepali diplomatic missions abroad. Such a gesture is necessary, but genuine respect for the dead cannot be fulfilled through symbolism alone. A tribute becomes meaningful only when the state can guarantee safe drinking water, medical care, shelter, education, livelihoods and dignified rehabilitation for those who survived.

Nearly two weeks after the disaster, search and rescue operations are still far from complete. A large number of people remain unaccounted for across Rasuwa and other affected areas. Reports of people being rescued alive from debris and tunnels many days after the disaster have delivered a clear message: the state must not end search operations prematurely. The search for the missing must continue as long as there remains a reasonable possibility of survival.

Yet another, less visible crisis is now emerging. The floods have damaged drinking-water systems, sanitation facilities, health institutions and entire settlements. Thousands of children and displaced families urgently require safe water, sanitation and healthcare. Families crowded into temporary shelters, schools and relatives’ homes face heightened risks of diarrhoeal diseases, waterborne infections, respiratory illnesses and other communicable diseases.

The government’s priority must therefore move far beyond distributing relief packages and taking photographs. Water-quality testing, chlorination, temporary toilets, waste management, disease surveillance and special healthcare for children, the elderly and pregnant women must be ensured in every relief camp and affected community. It is not enough for emergency mechanisms to be activated at the central level. Their effectiveness must be visible at village water points, local health posts and inside the tents of displaced families.

The reconstruction challenge is even greater. Thousands of homes have been completely or partially damaged. Roads, bridges, hydropower projects, schools, health facilities, commercial centres and local economies have suffered losses that the national economy may have to bear for years. Reconstruction must therefore not become an exercise in rebuilding the same vulnerable structures in the same dangerous locations.

Nepal has repeatedly made the same mistake after major disasters. Relief receives intense attention. Political declarations follow. But after a few months, affected families are often left to struggle on their own. This time, that cycle must be broken. Resettling communities along high-risk riverbanks, rebuilding bridges and roads to outdated standards, and assessing Himalayan hazards solely on the basis of historical data are no longer acceptable approaches.

The Bhotekoshi disaster has warned Nepal that the nature of climate-related risks in the Himalayas is changing. Glacial lakes, avalanches, sudden natural blockages and catastrophic outburst events can create complex and cascading hazards that Nepal cannot manage alone. Real-time hydrological data sharing with China, monitoring of glacial lakes, cross-border early-warning systems and joint scientific research are no longer matters of diplomatic courtesy. They are national security requirements directly linked to saving lives.

National mourning must also remind the state of another deeply sensitive responsibility. Thousands of families are still waiting for definitive information about their loved ones. Scientific documentation of the missing, dignified identification of bodies, DNA testing, regular communication with families and a transparent process for confirming deaths must be ensured. The pain of losing someone must not be compounded by the state’s failure to provide clear information.

Tomorrow, the national flag will fly at half-mast. But the true meaning of national mourning begins after that.

The state must assure families that it will not abandon the search for the missing. It must guarantee that displaced communities will not be allowed to fall victim to a second disaster caused by disease. Those who lost their homes must receive a clear pathway toward safe rehabilitation, and children must be helped back into classrooms as quickly as possible.

The greatest tribute to those who died is not a speech. It is a system that ensures the same failures are not repeated when the next disaster strikes.

National mourning lasts for a day.

The responsibility of the state does not end with it.