UNICEF reports 22,000 Nepal children lack safe water after floods

More than a week after flash floods devastated the Bhotekoshi‑Trishuli river basin in Nepal, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported on Thursday that at least 22,000 children remain in urgent need of safe drinking water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) assistance. The sudden deluge, which struck the region in early August, inundated homes, schools and health facilities, contaminating water sources and displacing thousands of families across the mountainous watershed.

UNICEF, working alongside Nepal’s Ministry of Health and Population and local humanitarian partners, is mobilising emergency WASH supplies, including water purification tablets, portable latrines and hygiene kits, to address the immediate health risks faced by children. The agency emphasizes that restoring access to clean water and adequate sanitation is critical to preventing water‑borne diseases as the community begins recovery efforts. Continued coordination and funding are required to sustain the response and ensure that the most vulnerable, especially school‑age children, receive the protection needed to resume normal daily activities.