KATHMANDU, Thursday, October 1, 2026 – The National Assembly, the upper house of parliament, has formed a special parliamentary committee to study recent devastating floods and landslides across Nepal, which have claimed 233 lives. Lawmakers, during a special session today, also demanded that the government immediately announce a special relief and rehabilitation package for victims and that Prime Minister Balen Shah address the parliament.
The ‘Bhotekoshi and Kaligandaki Corridor Disaster Study and Monitoring Parliamentary Special Committee’ was announced by National Assembly Chairman Narayan Prasad Dahal during Thursday’s session. The committee is tasked with studying the damage caused by the catastrophic Bhotekoshi River flood in Rasuwa on Bhadra 10 (BS) and the destruction from continuous rainfall from Ashoj 9 to 11 (BS) in various districts. The Bhotekoshi flood alone has disrupted 430 megawatts of electricity generation, with an estimated initial cost of Rs 390 billion for reconstruction of damaged energy infrastructure.
According to Ministry of Home Affairs spokesperson Rishi Ram Tiwari, as of Ashoj 17 (BS), 233 people have died, 22 are missing, and 169 have been injured in the recent floods and landslides. A total of 17,120 people have been rescued. Baglung district alone has reported 13 deaths due to floods and landslides.
Lawmakers demand relief and accountability
Nepali Congress MP Kiran Babu Shrestha called for the government to not limit its response to the widespread problems caused by floods and landslides, particularly in Gandaki Province, to ordinary relief efforts. Instead, he urged the mobilisation of all federal, provincial, and local mechanisms through an integrated emergency system. Shrestha demanded an immediate special package for relief and rehabilitation for the families of the deceased, the injured, the displaced, and the homeless. He also called for the swift restoration of blocked roads, bridges, electricity, and communication services.
Shrestha highlighted that Gandaki Province, significant for tourism and agriculture, has suffered extensive damage to infrastructure, including roads and electricity. He questioned the effectiveness of early warning systems and disaster preparedness, urging for alternative supply arrangements due to blocked northern border points. MPs had previously demanded immediate relief and road operations for flood and landslide victims. Read more here.
CPN-UML MP Ram Kumari Jhankri emphasised that the government’s responsibility extends beyond rescue and relief distribution after a disaster. She stated that it is the government’s duty to protect citizens’ lives, return them to safe housing, restore lost livelihoods, and minimise future damage. Jhankri stressed the importance of providing necessary financial and legal assistance to affected families, noting that the pain of citizens who do not even know if their family members are alive cannot be expressed in words. She added that the search for the missing, post-mortem examinations, and handing over bodies to families should be the state’s top priority.
Nepali Communist Party MP Suresh Kumar Ale Magar expressed sorrow over the loss of life and property in districts like Manang, Myagdi, Parbat, Baglung, and Palpa due to the Bhotekoshi flood and recent landslides. He advocated for utilising the knowledge and skills of indigenous communities in disaster management. Ale Magar also drew the government’s attention to the impact of FIFA’s suspension of the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA) and demanded initiatives to lift the ban. FIFA suspended ANFA on Asar 11 (BS) due to third-party interference, which has led to Nepal missing the 15th SAFF Championship in Bangladesh.
Furthermore, Ale Magar objected to the arrest of former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Jabara by the Kathmandu Valley Crime Investigation Office on Ashoj 11 (BS) and his release to his son’s custody approximately 12 hours later. Police cited “security threat” as the reason for the arrest but did not issue an arrest warrant or publicly disclose any specific offence. Ale Magar demanded that the National Human Rights Commission make public the statement it took from the police regarding this incident.
Nepali Communist Party MP Ghanshyam Rijal called for the government to be accountable to the parliament and the people, demanding the assurance of good governance. Lawmakers also suggested improving road infrastructure for safe travel during the upcoming festivals and intensifying market monitoring.
Committee’s mandate and other developments
The newly formed special committee will review disaster risk reduction preparedness, damage to life and property, search for the missing and affected, rescue, relief and compensation, treatment of the injured, body management, and rehabilitation efforts. It is also tasked with analysing the impact of climate change on disasters, recommending a roadmap for rehabilitation of affected individuals, reconstruction of physical structures, risk reduction, and climate justice.
The committee, formed under Rule 167 of the National Assembly Regulations, 2075 (BS), currently has eight members: Krishna Prasad Paudel, Gita Devkota, Ghanshyam Rijal, Shree Krishna Prasad Adhikari, Samjhana Devkota, Somnath Portel, Puja Chaudhary, and Tul Prasad Bishwakarma. One additional member will be added later. The committee’s term will last until Poush end, 2083 (BS).
In a separate development, Minister for Agriculture, Forest and Environment Gita Chaudhary formed a study task force on Thursday to identify necessary legal and policy arrangements to ensure a market for domestically produced fertiliser once a chemical fertiliser factory is established in Nepal. The task force includes experts from the Ministries of Agriculture, Forest and Environment; Finance; Industry; and Energy, as well as the Public Procurement Monitoring Office.
What remains unknown
While the National Assembly has formed the special committee, the government’s formal response to the lawmakers’ demand for a special relief package for flood and landslide victims is still awaited. The specific reasons and legal basis for the arrest and release of former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Jabara have not been formally clarified by the government. The timeline for the fertiliser task force to submit its report is also not yet known.
