Nepal Floods Leave 22,000 Children Without Safe Water, UNICEF Warns

KATHMANDU — At least 22,000 children in Nepal urgently need safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene assistance more than a week after devastating flash floods swept through the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli river basin, UNICEF said. The floods damaged water-supply systems across affected districts and destroyed or severely damaged toilets and other sanitation facilities, increasing the risk of waterborne and infectious disease outbreaks.

Families displaced by the disaster are also crowded into host households and temporary holding centres, making it increasingly difficult to maintain basic hygiene and access clean water.

“Every parent in these districts is now making the same calculation several times a day,” said Alice Akunga, UNICEF Representative in Nepal, referring to families’ urgent need to determine where they can obtain water and whether it is safe for their children.

UNICEF expands emergency response

UNICEF has already delivered water, sanitation and hygiene supplies for approximately 19,000 people in Rasuwa and Nuwakot, two of the districts hardest hit by the floods. The emergency supplies include more than 3,800 hygiene kits, 3,300 collapsible 10-litre jerrycans, 3,500 buckets, 3,500 one-litre mugs and 4,000 bottles of water-treatment solution. More than 1,000 tarpaulin sheets have also been distributed.

UNICEF teams are working with Nepalese authorities and humanitarian partners on disease surveillance, hygiene awareness and outbreak prevention as the risk of infectious diseases rises.

Schools also heavily affected

The floods have also disrupted children’s education. UNICEF estimates that at least 19 schools have been damaged, including eight that were completely destroyed and another eight that suffered partial destruction. More than 10,000 school-age children are in need of immediate psychosocial support and access to safe learning spaces.

The damage to water infrastructure, homes and schools has left thousands of families facing an uncertain recovery while emergency teams continue providing essential assistance. Humanitarian agencies say restoring access to clean water and sanitation is particularly urgent because prolonged displacement and overcrowded living conditions can accelerate the spread of disease.

The latest warning comes as Nepal continues to recover from one of its most destructive recent flood disasters, with communities across the affected river basin struggling to rebuild homes, infrastructure and essential services. UNICEF said it will continue working with the Nepalese government and partners to provide life-saving water, sanitation, hygiene and child-protection support to affected communities.