Hello, my name is Dr. Ramu Kharel. I am an emergency medicine physician and the founder of Health Advancement Programs to Serve All (HAPSA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit strengthening emergency care and community disaster preparedness/response in Nepal. I share some difficult news today, and I hope we can work together to help the people affected.

On 26 August, a devastating flash flood struck Rasuwa and communities downstream along the Bhote Koshi-Trishuli corridor, destroying homes, roads, and bridges. While government rescue operations are still underway, we are preparing for what comes next.

After a flood, safe drinking water is an immediate need.

We know from experience that displaced families lose access to safe drinking water, working latrines, and basic sanitation. These are the post-disaster conditions in which diarrheal disease (and other infectious diseases) spread. Untreated, it can cause fatal dehydration, with children under five being the most vulnerable.

When families are taking shelter in close proximity and drawing from the same contaminated source, one household’s illness becomes an outbreak. A health system already responding to trauma, injury, and displacement cannot absorb a second emergency. Preventing that outbreak is the purpose of our response.

HAPSA's team is already mobilizing a targeted post-flood public health response, working with local distribution partners to reach affected communities. We are assembling 1,000 post-disaster sanitation kits for immediate delivery to families whose homes along the river were destroyed. We will keep assembling and delivering kits as funding allows, while the full scale of need continues to emerge.

The kits include water treatment, hand soap, and rehydration salts. These are the best-evidenced interventions for reducing the risk of illness. We have experience distributing similar post-disaster kits after COVID-19, the 2021 Melamchi floods, and the 2023 Jajarkot earthquake.

Each $12 kit is designed to support a family of 4 with safe drinking water for nearly one month, starting now, when the risk of waterborne illness is highest. The cost includes all listed supplies, assembly, and delivery.

The kits include: chlorine water purifier treatment, sanitary pads, hand soap and sanitizer, dental hygiene supplies, oral rehydration solution packets, paracetamol, health and safety information, and a reusable kit bag that can carry water.

Our goal of $50,000 funds the first batch of kits and lets us keep going. Kits are being packed today, ahead of funding. We expect the need to grow as assessments reach the communities still cut off.

For transparency, the Government of Nepal and the Office of the Prime Minister are also collecting contributions on their official relief platform for the broader national flood response. Contributions made through this GoFundMe will specifically support the family health and sanitation kit response described above.

Thank you so much.

Ramu Kharel, MD, MPH

Emergency Medicine & Public Health Specialist

Founder and Lead Strategist, HAPSA

https://hapsaglobe.org · https://instagram.com/hapsanepal

See our previous Melamchi flood response:

https://hapsaglobe.org/projects/melamchi-flood-relief-2021