Kathmandu: Caritas organisations are stepping up assistance in Nepal after the August 26 flood that killed more than 1,400 people, left more than 5,000 missing and destroyed homes and infrastructure.
Caritas Internationalis is working with Caritas Nepal and the Children and Youth Collaborative Network to respond to urgent needs. Their priorities include food, psychological support for children and measures to prevent human trafficking.
Raju Pradhan, a Nepalese humanitarian worker and consultant for Caritas Internationalis, said support teams are providing psychological care to children staying in reception centres and temporary shelters, particularly in Rasuwa District.
The programme includes safe spaces and activities such as art therapy. Many children have witnessed the deaths of family members and the destruction of their homes. Some have been left without anyone to care for them, with many already orphaned.
Pradhan said the therapeutic activities are intended to help children cope with what they have experienced while giving them professional support to deal with the consequences of the disaster.
Caritas is also concerned about the risk of human trafficking, particularly involving girls. Pradhan said the movement of large numbers of people after a disaster can create conditions that traffickers may exploit.
Caritas plans to work with health centre staff and people affected by the disaster to raise awareness of trafficking risks. The organisation is also examining protection concerns in reception centres, where adults and children are living together.
Food remains an immediate need, while the approach of winter is creating additional pressure. Caritas is supporting community kitchens, providing essential goods and preparing winterisation kits for areas where temperatures are already falling.
The longer term response includes recovery and reconstruction efforts with Caritas Nepal. Plans include temporary education centres and temporary housing support for some people affected by the disaster.
The flood has also damaged water infrastructure, leaving more than 84,000 people experiencing difficulties accessing drinking water.
Pradhan said the disaster was not caused by an earthquake. He referred to a report by the United States Geological Survey which stated that a landslide triggered by melting glacier ice caused the event. A large mass of earth is believed to have fallen into a lake, producing the flood. According to Pradhan, the earthquake that followed was a consequence of the event rather than its cause.
He also pointed to the wider impact of climate related events in Nepal, including floods, melting glaciers, crop losses and drought. Nepal contributes only around 0.05 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and 0.08 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the information provided.
Beppe Pedron, Caritas Italiana's regional coordinator for Asia, said the disaster highlights the need to address not only emergencies but also their underlying causes. The Nepalese government has appealed to the international community for support.
Pedron said glaciers below 8,000 metres are already melting and that several glaciers in the Himalayan range are in conditions that could lead to similar disasters.
Monitoring systems were swept away by the flood, making the exact condition of Nepal's glaciers unclear. Pedron said an estimated seven minutes passed between the fall of the mass of ice and earth into the lake in the Tibet region and its arrival in the first populated areas.
He identified this seven minute period as a potential early warning window that could be used to improve people's safety.
Pedron is due to travel to Nepal for around ten days in the coming weeks. Caritas Italiana has worked with Caritas Nepal for years, including through projects before the major earthquake in Nepal 20 years ago.
The partnership has since grown through reciprocal visits, projects for young people and a twinning relationship. Pedron said the emergency has strengthened the close relationship between the two Caritas organisations and increased the importance of their support for people affected by the disaster.