Coin Press - UN's Nepal chief makes emotional plea for flood-ravaged country

After visiting battered mountain communities, UN Resident Coordinator Lila Pieters Yahia told AFP that people were struggling to comprehend how suddenly their Himalayan homes had become an expanse of ruin and destruction.

"You lose your home, you lose your livelihood, you lose your loved one and you lose the breadwinner of your family," Pieters Yahia said in Kathmandu.

"And you know, this happened in one to two minutes."

The devastating August 26 flood that crashed through the China-Nepal border killed at least 1,384 people and left more than 5,500 missing across both countries.

More than 800 foreigners from at least 34 countries are among those missing in both Nepal and Tibet in China. They include both tourists and pilgrims.

Many communities near the epicentre of the disaster remain cut off, with the UN working alongside Nepal's government to get emergency supplies into devastated areas.

The UN has launched a $50 million appeal to help more than 84,000 people affected by the disaster.

"Those people are cut off from the rest of the world because the road is gone," Pieters Yahia said.

"You try to find a solution to expedite access, and you find another bottleneck. We're looking into all means, but we need to to improve access."

- 'Risk of cholera' -

Floods tore through mountain districts, destroying roads, bridges and hydropower dams.

The destruction means journeys that once took a couple of hours have now become day-long ordeals.

"The Himalayas are beautiful, they are amazing, they're spiritual," said Pieters Yahia.

"But also they are very, very difficult terrains... And we have the landslides -- and, plus we're still in the monsoon season."

She warned that beyond immediate shelter and food needs, authorities would have to guard against disease outbreaks and work to protect vulnerable women and girls.

Citing government data, she said 5,000 cattle had died in the flooding.

"This is a big issue because this could lead to communicable diseases... We may have risk of cholera, so this is why immediately we have to invest in sanitation and hygiene."

Pieters Yahia called for greater international support for Nepal, a largely rural nation of 30 million people with limited resources.

"My plea to the international community is: this is the time to help Nepal. It's not tomorrow and it's not yesterday," she said.

"We can't leave them there. We can't leave them alone."

H.Meyer--CPN