MP sets up Delhi control room for citizens stranded in Nepal floods
Synopsis
With 178 Indians reportedly missing in Nepal's flash floods and Shravan pilgrim season at its peak, Madhya Pradesh has opened a dedicated Delhi control room — a rare state-level consular intervention that underscores how exposed India's religious tourism circuits are to Himalayan monsoon disasters.
Key Takeaways
Madhya Pradesh government set up a control room in New Delhi on 27 August to assist state citizens stranded in flood-hit Nepal.
Helpline numbers: phone 011-26772005 , WhatsApp 9818963273 , email recp1mpbhawan@mp.gov.in .
According to Nepal's National Tourism Board , 178 Indians are reported missing after flash floods in the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers.
Flooding is most severe in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, near the Nepal-Tibet border.
No official confirmation yet of any Madhya Pradesh resident being stranded; the state has not disclosed how many of its citizens are currently in Nepal.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced the initiative and expressed grief over the disaster's impact.
The Madhya Pradesh government on Thursday, 27 August established a dedicated control room in New Delhi to assist state residents who may be stranded amid severe flooding in Nepal. Chief Minister Mohan Yadav announced the move and appealed to Madhya Pradesh citizens currently in Nepal — as well as their families back home — to reach out through the designated helpline channels.
What the Control Room Offers
The control room is reachable by phone at 011-26772005, via WhatsApp at 9818963273, and through email at recp1mpbhawan@mp.gov.in. The state government has urged families to use these official channels rather than relying on unverified information about their relatives' whereabouts.
Notably, the state government has not disclosed how many Madhya Pradesh residents are currently in Nepal, and there is no official confirmation so far of any citizen from the state being stranded in the flood-affected zones.
Why Madhya Pradesh Residents Are in Nepal
Nepal is a significant religious tourism destination for people from Madhya Pradesh. Devotees regularly travel to Kathmandu to visit the Pashupatinath Temple, with pilgrim groups undertaking such journeys in particularly large numbers during the holy month of Shravan. Nepal also serves as a key transit route for pilgrims on the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, increasing the number of Indian visitors present in the country during the monsoon season.
Scale of the Nepal Flood Crisis
The floods have been severe across several parts of Nepal, disrupting normal life and raising alarm over the safety of tourists and pilgrims from India. According to information attributed to Nepal's National Tourism Board, 178 Indians have been reported missing following flash floods in the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts. The situation has been particularly critical in Rasuwa, near the Nepal-Tibet border, where the Rasuwagadhi area and downstream stretches along the Bhote Koshi river have borne the brunt of the flooding.
What the Government Said
'The state government has established a control room in New Delhi to provide assistance and necessary information to residents of Madhya Pradesh who are stranded due to the severe flood disaster in Nepal,' Chief Minister Yadav said in a post on social media platform X. He also expressed grief over the loss and disruption caused by the disaster, affirming that the state government stood with its citizens through the crisis.
What Happens Next
The control room is expected to facilitate coordination between families in Madhya Pradesh and relevant authorities as the flood situation in Nepal evolves. The precautionary step signals the state government's intent to stay ahead of a potential consular and humanitarian challenge, even as ground-level clarity on the number of affected citizens remains limited.
Point of View
But the absence of any headcount of Madhya Pradesh residents currently in Nepal exposes a structural gap: Indian states have no reliable real-time tracking of citizens travelling abroad, leaving disaster response reactive rather than proactive. The Shravan pilgrim season amplifies this risk annually, yet the episode repeats itself each monsoon. The 178-missing figure attributed to Nepal's Tourism Board also warrants scrutiny — it covers all Indians, not just those from Madhya Pradesh, and official verification is still pending. Until states build pre-travel registration systems for high-risk pilgrimage corridors, helplines will remain the ceiling of crisis preparedness, not the floor.
NationPress
27 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Madhya Pradesh government's Nepal flood helpline number?
The Madhya Pradesh government's control room in New Delhi can be reached at 011-26772005 by phone, 9818963273 on WhatsApp, or via email at recp1mpbhawan@mp.gov.in. The helpline was activated on 27 August to assist state citizens stranded in flood-hit Nepal.
How many Indians are reported missing in the Nepal floods?
According to information attributed to Nepal's National Tourism Board, 178 Indians have been reported missing following flash floods in the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts. The figure covers Indians broadly, and no state-specific breakdown has been officially confirmed.
Why are so many people from Madhya Pradesh in Nepal during this period?
Nepal is a major religious tourism destination for Madhya Pradesh residents, who regularly travel to Kathmandu to visit the Pashupatinath Temple — especially during the holy month of Shravan. Nepal is also a key route for the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, drawing additional pilgrims during the monsoon season.
Which areas of Nepal have been worst affected by the floods?
The flooding has been most severe in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, particularly around the Rasuwagadhi area and downstream stretches of the Bhote Koshi river near the Nepal-Tibet border. The Trishuli river has also seen significant flooding, disrupting normal life across several regions.
Has any Madhya Pradesh resident been confirmed stranded in Nepal?
As of 27 August, there is no official confirmation of any Madhya Pradesh citizen being stranded in the flood-affected areas of Nepal. The state government has also not disclosed how many of its residents are currently in the country.
