Nepal floods: Mumbai’s Nepali community anxiously awaits news from families back home

An aerial view of the Dhunge Bazar area after flash floods, in Nuwakot, Nepal, on Thursday. PICS/PTI

The devastating flash floods near the Nepal-Tibet border, which claimed lives and left several people missing, have left members of the Nepali community in Mumbai and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) worried about the safety of their families back home.

The United Nepali Organisation-Mumbai has been receiving calls from community members in Mumbai and across Maharashtra, seeking information about their relatives in the flood-hit areas. The community is tense as many have been unable to contact their family members due to the disruption of telephone connectivity in the affected region.

A backhoe loader machine carries the flood victims to a safer place in Bidur

[popcorn number="2-2.5L" desc="Approximate no. of Nepali residents in Mumbai and Thane" class="Default"]

Large local presence

For many Nepali residents in Mumbai, the hospitality sector is a major source of livelihood. Many work as chefs, cooks, waiters, and kitchen helpers in restaurants, cafes, and hotels. Many community members also work as domestic helpers, home cooks, and caretakers, and many are employed as security guards. According to Bharat Rawal, advisor to United Nepali Organisation-Mumbai, there are an estimated 2-2.5 lakh Nepali residents in Mumbai and Thane, and an estimated 4-5 lakh across Maharashtra, primarily hailing from western and central Nepal.

People in Devighat Bidur Municipality area move to a safer place after the flooding

Updates scarce

According to Rawal, representatives of the local Nepali community had told the organisation that official updates remained scarce due to the telephone/mobile network issues. "The Nepalese government has issued statements saying its immediate priority is to restore mobile tower connectivity and set up temporary relief shelters so stranded residents can contact their families," he said.

Families anxious

Bharat Rawal, advisor, United Nepali Organisation-Mumbai
‘The disaster has badly affected Nepal, including areas along the pilgrimage routes towards Mansarovar and Muktinath. Flooding has snapped electricity poles, destroyed cell towers, and disrupted telecommunications networks'

Mobilising relief

Rawal said that local socio-cultural organisations, hotel staff associations, and community groups across Maharashtra are mobilising relief. "This includes coordinating emergency medical assistance, organising blood donation drives, collecting financial aid, and arranging food supplies

Aid, rescue support

Rawal added that community leaders have also been in touch with Dy CM Eknath Shinde's office regarding possible aid and rescue support. "A clear picture of the number of missing persons and casualties will emerge only over the next few days, as restoration work continues," he said.

‘Hope everyone is safe'

Prashant Thapa, Nepali community member in Mumbai
‘My uncle's family lives in Syangja district, which is quite far from the area where the flash floods occurred. But we still haven't been able to contact them because their phones aren't reachable. We have other relatives living in different parts of Nepal too, and we are worried about all of them. We are hoping everyone is safe.'