Nepalese students residing in Hamilton are closely monitoring the distressing news of severe flooding in their homeland, expressing deep concerns about providing assistance from a considerable distance. A sudden deluge near the Nepal-Tibet border on Wednesday has resulted in nearly 2,000 individuals being reported as missing as of Friday, including 32 Canadian nationals and permanent residents, as confirmed by Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Anita Anand. During a press briefing on Friday, Anand disclosed that 579 casualties have been accounted for in the affected region so far.
In response to the ongoing search efforts, students from Nepal at McMaster University in Hamilton have initiated a fundraising campaign and are actively sharing information online. Kusum Bhatta, the President of the McMaster Graduate Students Association and CUPE Local 3906, pursuing a PhD in the Department of Social Work, hails from Nepal and relocated to Canada in 2019. Witnessing distressing flood videos circulating on social media since Wednesday, Bhatta and her peers swiftly reached out to family members back home, discovering the extensive devastation as the day progressed. Although Bhatta’s immediate family is safe, she expressed concern for acquaintances and colleagues who have shared accounts about missing or injured loved ones. To support relief efforts in Nepal, Bhatta launched a GoFundMe initiative that had garnered approximately $1,395 by Friday evening, intending to contribute to Nepal’s Prime Minister Disaster Relief Fund.
The flooding crisis has taken a personal toll on Raunak Pandey, a third-year Chemical Engineering PhD candidate at McMaster and the Vice President External of the Graduate Student Association. Having arrived in Canada in 2023, Pandey revealed that a friend from his undergraduate studies was trekking solo in the affected region during the catastrophe and has been unaccounted for since. Additionally, the son of one of his mother’s acquaintances remains missing. Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath expressed solidarity with the Nepalese and Tibetan communities in the city, acknowledging the anguish faced by families awaiting news of their loved ones.
As rescue operations persist amidst the debris and mud, the scale of the disaster continues to unfold. Canada has pledged $5 million in emergency aid to Nepal, recognizing the dire humanitarian crisis and extensive damage. Students in Hamilton observing the unfolding tragedy from afar are grappling with the uncertainties, with Bhatta emphasizing the challenges faced by those with relatives in the affected regions. Recurring natural calamities, including significant floods and the devastating 2015 earthquake, have plagued Nepal, leaving little time for recovery or restoration.
Both students underscore the role of climate change in exacerbating such calamities, with Pandey noting Nepal’s efforts towards renewable energy and forest conservation while stressing the necessity for enhanced research and resources to bolster community resilience against sudden floods. Bhatta emphasizes the global implications of climate change, urging greater empathy and awareness of its far-reaching impacts beyond borders.
