Nepal’s deadly glacier flood a ‘defining moment’ for the international community

The deadly flash flood that tore through Nepal in August is a “defining moment” for both the country and the international community, according to the head of the UN field agency which builds roads, schools and clinics in crisis zones.UN Project Services chief, Jorge Moreira da Silva, briefed journalists in New York by videolink after joining teams from UNOPS in Nepal, describing the glacier collapse on 26 August as one of the most destructive and deadliest climate disasters ever.Survivors told him of a wall of water more than 100 metres high, travelling at 180 kilometres per hour, which devastated 60 kilometres of valley in a matter of seconds.“We are not dealing with a normal flood,” he said.Swept awayMore than 1,500 people lost their lives and 5,600 remain missing. Some 100,000 people have been affected, including more than 30,000 children.More than 100 bridges collapsed, while 13 hydropower dams and 23 schools were destroyed. Some 2.2 million tonnes of debris and sediment now cover what used to be homes, schools, roads and rivers.With so many bridges gone, a journey that once took a few minutes on foot can now take 12 hours, he said. Yet displaced communities had expressed resi...