No foreign rescue teams, keeps aid channel open, says Nepal

Nepal has decided to keep foreign search-and-rescue teams away from its flood-ravaged areas, even as India, China and several other countries have offered personnel and specialised equipment to help locate hundreds of missing people.

The decision is striking because the disaster has also affected Nationals of several countries. As many as over 517 foreign nationals are still reported missing, including citizens of India, China, the US, Malaysia, Ukraine, the UK, Australia and Canada.

Kathmandu, however, believes the immediate rescue effort can be handled by its own security forces. The Nepalese Government’s position is not a rejection of international assistance. Rather, it is an attempt to ensure that the rescue operation remains under a single domestic command while foreign Governments contribute through relief supplies, financial support and, where necessary, specialised technical assistance.

The 2015 earthquake still weighs on Kathmandu

One of the strongest arguments behind the decision comes from Nepal’s experience during the 2015 earthquake. The massive international response brought search-and-rescue teams from several countries into Nepal. While the foreign assistance was substantial, coordinating numerous teams, agencies and equipment proved difficult for the authorities.

Nepal does not want those coordination problems repeated during the present emergency.

The Nepal Army and police have reportedly advised the Government that domestic agencies have the capacity to lead the search operation. Kathmandu has consequently chosen a centralised model in which the country’s own security agencies remain responsible for rescue and recovery. Foreign Minister Shishir Khanal has made clear, however, that Nepal could seek outside technical assistance if rescuers confront challenges requiring expertise or equipment that is not readily available domestically.

This could include difficult operations involving tunnels, collapsed structures or other technically demanding sites.

India ready with NDRF

India has offered to deploy teams of the National Disaster Response Force, along with equipment that could support the search and rescue effort.

New Delhi is still waiting for Kathmandu to respond to the offer.“We stand ready to offer any assistance that the Nepal authorities might require,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Friday. India has meanwhile moved ahead with humanitarian assistance. More than 47.5 tonnes of relief material, including medicines and food packets, have been sent to Nepal. New Delhi has also offered Bailey bridges and prefabricated truss bridges to help reconnect areas where flood damage has disrupted transport links. The Indian offer has an added urgency as Indian nationals constitute a significant portion of those whose whereabouts remain unknown.

China and other nations also offered help

China too sought to send assistance, while other countries offered similar support.

The United States and the United Kingdom have offered financial and humanitarian assistance. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was prepared to provide humanitarian support. The UK has also been monitoring the situation involving its citizens and seeking information about those affected.

International financial institutions have also stepped in. The World Bank has announced support, while the Asian Development Bank is looking at longer-term assistance aimed at strengthening Nepal’s disaster preparedness, early-warning systems and infrastructure against future emergencies.

Kathmandu wants one channel for aid

Nepal’s preference for centralised coordination extends to financial assistance. Foreign contributions are being encouraged through the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund, allowing the Government to maintain oversight of incoming aid and its distribution.

The reasoning is straightforward. Multiple foreign rescue teams operating simultaneously could mean more demands on local authorities for transport, accommodation, communication, security and logistics.

A centralised aid system, by contrast, gives Kathmandu greater control over how resources are allocated.

The foreign ministry has also created an Emergency Response Team to coordinate information on foreign nationals caught up in the disaster.