EU expands flood relief package to Rs 445 million, mobilizes air bridge and in-kind supplies for Nepal

KATHMANDU, Sept 3: The European Union has released an additional NPR 89 million (€500,000 USD equivalent) in humanitarian assistance to scale up response efforts following the catastrophic August 26 flash floods in Nepal, elevating its total direct emergency aid package to over NPR 445 million (€2.5 million USD equivalent).The additional funding will support an International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) operation managed by the Nepal Red Cross Society.

The response initiative targets 20,000 affected individuals—approximately 4,000 households—across Bagmati Province, delivering emergency shelter, cash assistance, clean water, sanitation infrastructure, primary healthcare, and psychosocial support services.

Alongside financial relief, the EU has activated its Civil Protection Mechanism to coordinate in-kind aid from member states, including Germany, Luxembourg, Latvia, and Sweden.

These contributions encompass emergency shelter supplies, hygiene units, and specialized forensic equipment.To streamline physical delivery, the EU is establishing a Humanitarian Air Bridge to Kathmandu.

A dedicated cargo flight carrying over 80 tonnes of emergency inventory from the EU’s global logistics hub in Copenhagen is scheduled to arrive in Kathmandu later this week.

The Copernicus satellite service also continues to supply real-time mapping coverage to guide ground rescue operations across hard-hit districts.