Days after catastrophic floods buried whole villages, Caritas Nepal is expanding its humanitarian aid reach. On 26 August, a glacial lake in the Himalayas breached its natural banks in what is known as a glacial lake outburst flood, a sudden release of water, ice and rock triggered when a lake dammed by glacial debris gives way, sending a wall of water and mud crashing down the valleys below. Days later, Arpana Karki, Programme Manager for Caritas Nepal's Disaster Management Department, explains the response so far, the current needs on the ground, and how communities are coping with the mud left behind. "Mud is everywhere," she says — and she recounts how one Caritas team became stuck for eighteen hours on their way to deliver aid to Nuwakot.
Did people expect a disaster like this?
Yes, the risk was known as there are more than 2,000 glacial lakes in Nepal, and 21 have been identified as potentially at risk of an outburst. We used to think of it as a distant risk, something that could happen in the future. Now we have already faced it, and the impact is very alarming. The question is no longer whether it will happen, but when the next outburst will come, and whether we are prepared.
How are people describing what happened, in their own words?
People have struggled to find words big enough to describe what they experienced. Some said it was like a tsunami, others like a volcanic storm. Their descriptions may differ, but together they convey just how overwhelming the event was.
How did Caritas respond in the first days?
From the first day, we started coordinating with local partners. On day two our staff started moving with food and non-food items, and we went to see the holding centres and displacement centres. There were a lot of people there, but eventually people started moving on to Kathmandu. Kathmandu is about 70 to 80 kilometres from Nuwakot, so people have been coming there too, and we've been addressing their needs as well while trying not to overburden the host communities or encourage negative coping mechanisms.
How many people are still cut off from aid?
It could be more than 2,000 households. People in the urban and semi-urban areas have access to roads and have received aid, but many villages don't have road access at all. The only possibility for them is helicopters, and we're trying. We want to reach around 350 households who are still up in the hills with food and non-food items — until yesterday they were saying they only had food for one or two days left.
How are people dealing with the mud?
Mud is everywhere now, from three feet to sixteen or twenty feet deep, inside and outside buildings. Debris clearance has to be one of the first activities for early recovery. I had a meeting yesterday (1 September) with the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, and they agreed we should focus on clearing mud from schools, health facilities and homes so people can live in them again. It's also making delivery harder — you can see the trucks getting stuck in the mud, and it's the rainy season, so it's raining very heavily too.
What happened to the Caritas convoy that got stuck for 18 hours?
One of our young teams, in several trucks, set off from our office in Kathmandu bound for Nuwakot, But the journey took far longer than expected, and they did not reach their destination until well after dark the following day. In total it took them about eighteen hours, carrying mostly dry food — rice, lentils — and non-food items. Around four or five in the evening, they told me that the roads were in terrible condition. It was raining heavily, the roads were narrow, and we were concerned about the risk of soil erosion, so we didn’t want them to continue. They had to stay there overnight, without proper food to eat, and set off again the following morning.
When they finally arrived, people welcomed them with a very big heart. Whenever I called them, they kept saying: "Don't worry, don't worry." They were so positive, even though they hadn't eaten properly either. They said: "Okay, finally we'll be able to deliver the stuff" — and their first question was when I was sending them on the next trip. They were already excited to go again.
What trauma is Caritas witnessing on the ground, particularly among women and children?
Just before this call I was speaking to my team in Uttargaya, Rasuwa, Ward Number Five. They told me there are 56 orphaned children there, all cramped into one room, and we were discussing how to support them — with food, non-food items, and even paying rent so they can have two rooms and a teacher or guardian to look after them, because someone has to cook for them too. I don't think the government will be able to set up an orphanage that quickly. We don't yet know how many more orphans there will be across the other villages. The trauma is still very recent, especially for the women, many of whom have lost their husbands, their children, their belongings. They can't fully process it yet — right now their priority is getting somewhere safe. It will take time before they can properly grieve. With children, we've seen videos where they're asked where their parents are, and they say they were washed away by the river; asked who they're staying with, they say a friend or a sister. I think they know something has happened, but they haven't really understood it yet. Perhaps they are still trying to make sense of what has happened and what it means to be without their parents. That understanding may come later, when the immediate shock has passed and reality begins to sink in.
What is Caritas doing for children specifically?
We're planning various activities such as nutritious food support, dignity kits, temporary learning shelters, because a lot of schools have been damaged and proper reconstruction will take time. We've planned around 20 of these shelters, with psychosocial counselors and teachers, and support them with a kit full of board games and toys so children can play, have fun and have some normality with friends and teachers while they process what's happened.
If you had one message for international decision-makers on climate change, what would it be?
My message would be simple: don’t just come when disaster happens. Places like Rasuwa need support to rebuild, to prepare for the next disaster, and to make sure people have early-warning systems that can actually save lives. These communities need to be part of long-term development, not forgotten once the headlines fade and the emergency is over. They deserve the chance to recover, rebuild stronger, and be better prepared for what lies ahead. No one should be left behind.
What does Nepal need to face the future with less fear of natural disasters?
It’s always better to help communities prepare in advance than to wait until a disaster has already happened and then try to respond. An early warning is only useful if people receive it in time, understand what it means, and know what action to take. The government also has an important role in planning and zoning. We know there are glacial lakes that could pose a risk, and there are areas where people should not be building homes. We need clear risk zones and better planning so that communities are not put in harm’s way.
Early warning and preparedness should be a major government priority. Organizations like ours can support that by helping communities prepare, practice, and take anticipatory action before a disaster strikes. Ultimately, the goal is not just to respond better, but to make sure fewer people are caught unprepared in the first place.
What Pope Leo’s solidarity message meant to you and your community?
We were very moved to hear Pope Leo's words and prayers for Nepal, and the contribution that came with them was very symbolic for us, we don't often receive support like that, so it meant a lot. We are very grateful—not only to Pope Leo, but also to Caritas Internationalis, whose team has been incredibly supportive throughout this difficult time. That solidarity has reminded people here that they are not alone.
By Susan Dabbous, Caritas Internationalis Editorial and Media officer
