Wed, 14 October 2026
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Wed, 14 October 2026
By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Oct. 14: The process of certifying people who went missing in the August 26 floods in Rasuwa as deceased and issuing death certificates to their families has reached its final stage, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) has said.
Informing about the government’s preparation at the Parliamentary Special Committee for Study and Monitoring of Disasters in the Bhotekoshi and Kaligandaki corridors held at Singha Durbar on Tuesday, NDRRMA Chief Executive Chief Dr. Dharma Raj Upreti, said the process of certifying the missing persons as deceased would become easier once the results of DNA tests conducted on flood victims were received.
According to Upreti, the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act has been amended to allow missing persons to be declared dead after 45 days. The government is preparing to issue death certificates of both Nepali and foreign nationals under the amended legal provision.
“We have made some amendments to Nepal’s disaster law to facilitate the fast-track declaration of missing persons as deceased. The amendment has also been published in the Nepal Gazette, making the process easier,” he said.
Upreti said the floods in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers had directly or indirectly affected citizens from 75 districts across the country. The authority has held discussions with chief district officers from all 75 districts regarding the issue.
“The process of certifying deaths and issuing certificates to both Nepali and foreign nationals, in accordance with the amended legal provision that allows missing persons to be declared dead or treated as deceased, has reached its final stage,” he said.
The amended provision is expected to help families of those missing in the floods complete legal procedures and access services and entitlements that require official death certificates.
Upreti also informed the committee that the government had already initiated the construction of temporary shelters as part of post-disaster recovery and reconstruction efforts.
He further said that flood-affected areas in Manang, Mustang, Myagdi and Parbat districts of Gandaki Province had been declared disaster-hit zones, and rehabilitation work was under way.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs has said that 1,050 people affected by the Bhotekoshi River floods in Rasuwa are still staying in holding centres.
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