As devastating flash floods triggered by a breach in the Tibetan region of China swept through Nepal's Bhote Koshi River valley, Nepali diaspora leader Ojha Hari on Thursday, 27 August praised India's swift humanitarian response while criticising China for failing to share timely warning information — a lapse he said cost lives.

Scale of Destruction

The transboundary flood, originating in Tibet, has left hundreds dead and more than 800 people missing across Nepal. Speaking from Washington, Ojha described the scale of losses as staggering. 'Our hydropower stations, the riverside dams, have all been destroyed. Schools, buildings, hospitals, hydropower stations, offices — everything has been destroyed,' he said. 'If you look at the videos, the entire villages are empty.'

He estimated that more than 15 per cent of Nepal's total hydropower capacity had been knocked out, and that losses could run into billions of dollars. 'Without the support of the international community, I don't think we can recover from these big losses,' Ojha added.

India's Response Praised

Ojha specifically commended India for the speed of its relief operation, invoking the 'roti-beti ka rishta' — a phrase widely used to describe the deep civilisational and familial bonds between the two neighbouring countries. He said Indian relief supplies had reached the airport the previous day and were already being dispatched to affected areas by Thursday morning.

'It was very quick. It already reached the people by today,' he said. 'Especially I would like to thank the Indian government, who did help us by sending so many supplies.'

China Blamed for Information Failure

Ojha reserved sharp criticism for China, where the floodwaters originated, saying the absence of prompt early-warning information prevented residents in downstream Nepali communities from evacuating in time. 'This situation could have been solved if there was prompt information sharing from where it started, but due to the lack of information sharing, I think there was kind of a little bit failure in information sharing so that many people could not go out, could not evacuate from that location,' he said.

He added that communication with those in affected areas remained severely disrupted, with residents unable to charge phones due to widespread power outages. This comes amid longstanding questions about transboundary river data-sharing agreements between China and downstream nations, including Nepal and India.

International Support Sought

Ojha called on the global community to step up assistance, warning that Nepal's recovery would be prolonged and resource-intensive. He acknowledged that the country faced a long road to rebuilding infrastructure, noting that entire villages had been emptied by the disaster. Sustained international engagement — beyond immediate relief — will be critical to Nepal's reconstruction, he said.