Nepal's House of Representatives has set up a seven-member parliamentary sub-committee to study the economic impact of the devastating Rasuwa flash flood and examine issues related to climate change and climate finance, officials said on Wednesday. Photo: Internet Source

The move comes as Nepal assesses the wider economic damage caused by the disaster and pushes diplomatically for climate-related compensation from greenhouse emitters. Kathmandu has said that despite contributing "virtually negligible" greenhouse gas emissions, the country is facing a disproportionate share of the consequences of global warming, including rapid glacier melt and extreme mountain disasters.

The panel was formed at a meeting of the Finance Committee of the House of Representatives held at Singhadurbar, according to officials in the Parliament Secretariat. Lawmaker Sushila Khadka of the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party will coordinate the sub-committee, which has been asked to study the economic impact of the August 26 flash flood and related issues concerning climate change and climate finance.

Finance Committee Chairman Krishna Hari Budhathoki said the sub-committee has been asked to submit its report by September 18 after completing the study. The other members of the panel are Narendra Kumar Kerung of Nepali Congress, Parashu Ram Tamang of Communist Party of Nepal (Chaum), Pushpa Raj Kandel of CPN-UML, and Rastriya Swatantra Party lawmakers Lima Adhikari, Pushpa Chaudhary and Sushant Vaidik.

The flash floods were triggered by an ice-rock avalanche near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26 and devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal. The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects. According to officials, at least 1,365 people have been killed and more than 5,000 remain missing in the disaster.

The formation of the parliamentary panel brings together Nepal's immediate effort to measure the economic impact of the Rasuwa flash flood and its broader push for climate finance and climate-related compensation as the country rebuilds infrastructure damaged by extreme weather events.