Lawmaker Vidushi Rana urges international support for Nepal’s recovery efforts

London — Member of Parliament from ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP), Vidushi Rana, has urged the international community including the United Kingdom in Nepal’s efforts towards recovery and reconstruction.

Addressing the ceremony organised to mark the 25th anniversary of the Britain–Nepal Academic Council (BNAC) at the Embassy of Nepal in London on Thursday, Mrs Rana said Nepal incurred heavy loss of lives and property due to the August 26 flash floods that swept through Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and downstream regions. As of the latest official report, the disaster has claimed over 1,400 lives, with nearly 6,000 still missing, including 636 foreign nationals.

MP Rana, who is a well-known industrialist, drew attention to the agonizing uncertainty faced by thousands of families across Nepal.

“To be missing means a parent still waiting for a call; a child hearing adults whisper because no one knows what to tell her,” Rana said. “For those who survived, the question is where to live when the ground on which their home stood has gone.”

A Call for Action

Highlighting global inaction, Rana pointed out that UN Secretary-General António Guterres had explicitly warned during his October 2023 visit to Nepal about rapidly melting glaciers and the risk of catastrophic outburst floods.

“His warning was clear, but the response was nowhere near urgent enough,” Rana emphasized. “Today, Nepal is living with a loss that cannot be measured only in damaged roads and bridges.”

Mrs Rana linked her address to Nepal’s ongoing diplomatic push at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, led by Prime Minister Balendra Shah and Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal, calling on mountain nations and small island developing states to unite against climate injustice.

Mrs Rana paid tribute to frontline rescuers, health personnel, security forces, and community volunteers. She singled out headteacher Rajendra Dawadi, who saved hundreds of schoolchildren by acting immediately on early warnings—a heroic effort recently recognized by Baroness Stuart at the UK House of Lords.

British Parliamentary Support

MP Rana expressed deep gratitude to the British public and members of both the House of Commons and House of Lords for their unwavering support and solidarity.

She thanked British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband, alongside MPs Monica Harding, Callum Anderson, and Wendy Morton, for raising Nepal’s plight in the Commons. She also acknowledged extensive contributions in the Lords by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton, Lord Wood of Anfield, Lord Bilimoria, Lord Camoys, Lord Popat, Lord Purvis, Lord Swire, Lord Beamish, Lord Hussain, Baroness Stuart, and the Earl of Courtown.

“Your voices matter to our families,” Rana noted, acknowledging queries raised regarding the safety of affected Gurkha families and Kailash pilgrims, as well as calls for accessible climate finance and expanded early-warning systems.

Bridging her background in manufacturing and boardrooms with her legislative role, MP Rana challenged the academic community to ensure research directly serves vulnerable populations. She called for direct funds into early-warning infrastructure and settlement protection before tragedy strikes. We need to map high-risk slopes, glacial lakes, schools, and hydropower sites to ensure warnings reach downstream communities instantly, said Mrs Rana adding that building direct links between researchers and local governments, engineers, teachers, and emergency responders help save lives of local communities.

“Nepal and Britain have stood beside one another for more than two centuries,” Rana concluded. “For the families still waiting, we must keep searching. For those trying to rebuild, we must stay. And for the communities who may face the next flood, we must act while there is still time.”

The event was attended by academics, researchers, students and Nepali community leaders in the UK.