1st LD Writethru: China provides post-flood recovery assistance to Nepal

KATHMANDU, Jan. 11 (Xinhua) -- More than 31,800 households in southern Nepal's Terai region, which was affected by severe floods in August last year, will receive humanitarian aid from China, according to an agreement signed here Thursday.

The agreement was signed by Chinese Ambassador to Nepal Yu Hong and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) Nepal Country Director Renaud Meyer.

"We hope that we could help the flood affected people to get back to their normal lives," Yu said.

She noted that the Chinese government has already provided assistance to Nepal for disaster relief right after the massive floods last year.

The Chinese aid comes in response to the extensive damage and displacement caused by the floods in the country's southern part. A post-flood assessment conducted by the government of Nepal found that 1.7 million people were affected by the disaster.

The China funded project will be implemented by the UNDP and is expected to complete within three months. The project will be effective from early next week.

Meyer told Xinhua that "We are very happy to partner with China and receive the generous contribution for the recovery of people after the floods. We are very grateful for their willingness to provide additional funding to the work that UNDP has been doing."

Meyer said since the people in Terai region are severely affected by poverty, the project will enable them to resume their work while the children will be able to get back to schools. Enditem