Nepal's flood survivors demand climate reparations, not aid

Nepal's government says the severe flooding is not just a humanitarian crisis but an economic one, with hydropower plants, roads, bridges and entire villages damaged or destroyed. Authorities estimate that rebuilding could cost $5 billion, and with thousands of people, many of them breadwinners, still missing, the economic toll continues to rise.

Chirachit Kurki, whose aunt and cousin were swept away while waiting to cross the Nepal-China border, says the disaster is not simply natural but the result of global warming caused by humans. Twelve hydroelectric plants in the Trishuli Basin, developed with help from China and international lenders, are now severely damaged, and tens of thousands of families need new homes.

Climate activist Aakriti Dotel says the countries and institutions that helped fuel development in the Himalayas should pay for what has been lost, calling for compensation and reparations rather than grants or aid. The US has pledged $3.5 million in emergency assistance and the UN is appealing for nearly $50 million, but critics say that falls far short given losses running into the billions. A separate landslide in Darchula has since blocked a river and forced more families from their homes.

Al Jazeera's Nicolas Haque reports from Kathmandu.

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