Kathmandu — Nepal is receiving a growing wave of international assistance following the devastating floods in the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa, with governments and international institutions offering emergency supplies, financial support and specialized rescue expertise.

Prime Minister Balendra Shah said friendly countries began supporting Nepal from the very first day of the disaster, describing the international community as a “strong pillar” standing with Nepal in its hour of crisis.

India among the earliest responders

India has been providing assistance in multiple phases since the disaster struck.

According to Shah, India has so far delivered 74 tonnes of relief and rescue materials in five phases, while also deploying specialist teams to affected areas to support rescue operations.

The assistance has included emergency supplies as well as technical expertise for difficult rescue operations in flood-hit hydropower projects.

China offers financial aid and Bailey bridges

China has provided Nepal with Rs 300 million and 50 tonnes of relief materials, according to the prime minister.

Nepal has also requested 30 Bailey bridges from China to help restore transportation links destroyed by floods and landslides in affected areas.

The bridge request is particularly significant as several roads and bridges connecting remote settlements have been swept away, leaving communities and critical infrastructure isolated.

Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh step in

Pakistan is providing 86 tonnes of relief materials, while Sri Lanka has pledged US$1 million in assistance.

Bangladesh is also preparing to send relief materials to Nepal.

US and Australia pledge support

The United States has pledged US$500,000 in assistance.

Australia has committed US$1 million in cash assistance and is preparing to send a specialist team, including experts and drone operators, to Nepal.

The deployment is expected to provide additional technical capacity for mapping, search and rescue operations in areas where conventional access remains difficult.

Gulf countries announce major assistance

The United Arab Emirates has already provided 83 tonnes of essential relief materials and pledged assistance of up to US$10 million, according to Shah.

Qatar has provided 40 tonnes of relief supplies.

The scale of support from Gulf countries comes as Nepal struggles to deliver basic necessities to communities cut off by destroyed roads and infrastructure.

European countries expand humanitarian support

The United Kingdom has announced £5 million in assistance.

The European Union’s Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations has pledged €2 million, while Switzerland has committed US$1 million.

Other announced contributions include:

• Denmark: 3.5 million Danish kroner
• Germany: US$2 million
• Ireland: €500,000
• Czech Republic: 2.5 million Czech koruna
• Norway: 12.7 million Norwegian kroner

France has provided emergency relief supplies for 200 affected households, while Luxembourg and Latvia have also supplied relief materials.

Major multilateral financing on the horizon

Beyond emergency relief, international financial institutions are also preparing larger-scale support for Nepal’s recovery.

According to Shah, the World Bank has committed US$167 million in concessional financing.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has committed US$5 million in budgetary support and a further US$150,000 in technical assistance.

These commitments could become important as Nepal moves from immediate rescue and relief toward reconstruction of roads, bridges, hydropower infrastructure, homes and public facilities.

International response is still expanding

Shah said several other countries have also offered assistance, but Nepal is assessing those offers against the specific needs emerging from the disaster.

That approach could become increasingly important as the emergency shifts from immediate relief to a much larger recovery operation.

The Bhote Koshi disaster has destroyed critical infrastructure across some of Nepal’s most difficult mountain terrain. With communities still requiring food, shelter, medical care, transportation links and search-and-rescue support, international assistance is likely to remain a critical component of Nepal’s response and reconstruction effort.

For a country confronting a disaster of this scale, the emerging global response represents not only immediate humanitarian support, but also a test of how effectively Nepal can coordinate international resources, technical expertise and reconstruction financing into a unified recovery strategy.

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.