Dear Sri Lankans! A million thanks from Nepal
India-headquartered SAARC Disaster Management Center has done nothing for its regional relevancy in regional level.. BIMSTEC are doing nothing to face transboundary tragedies both on monetary and technical aspects,
COMMENTARIES
Birat Anupam
9/8/20264 min read
When the world's largest economy, USA, announced preliminary USD 500,000 aid for Nepal's flood relief; a very small South Asian economy, Sri Lanka, announced USD 1 million for Nepal earning praises from all quarters. Later on, the USA increased the aid amount to USD 3.6 million. Sri Lanka is grappling with one of the worst economic crises in its history. However, it didn't hesitate to exhibit great humanitarian height to Nepal in its trying times following the 26 August flood at Nepal-China borders.
Besides monetary assistance, Sri Lanka's political and bureaucratic leadership displayed Himalayan height of humanity for Nepal's tragedy which destroyed around 'one tenth of Nepal's national economy'.
On day one (26 August), Sri Lanka's President Anura Kumara Dissanayake remembered Nepal and wrote, ''I am deeply saddened to learn of the tragic loss of life following the devastating floods in Nepal. Sri Lanka stands ready to assist Nepal in rescue and clearance operations. As a nation still emerging from a deadly cyclone just 10 months ago, we share the grief of the Nepalese people.''
On 27 August, Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya wrote, ''I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families who have lost their loved ones and express our solidarity with the people of Nepal during this difficult time. Our thoughts are also with all those affected and awaiting news of their loved ones.''
On 31 August, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath, made his footfall at Embassy of Nepal in Colombo and conveyed his 'deepest condolence to the Government and people of Nepal following the tragic loss of lives'. Just a day after the tragic flood, Mr. Herath telephoned Nepali counterpart Shisir Khanal and conveyed the 'steadfast support and solidarity'.
In Kathmandu on 1 September, Sri Lanka's ambassador Ms. Ruwanthi Delpitiya reached Nepal's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and 'signed the Book of Condolence, expressing Sri Lanka’s solidarity with Nepal and our steadfast support during this difficult time.'
Nepal's flood tragedy wasn't only the bilateral tragedy of Nepal and China. According to the data released by Nepal Tourism Board, the official tourism promoting agency, tourists from 35 countries were affected by the flood. None of the affected tourists were from Sri Lanka. Despite being unaffected by the flood, Sri Lanka displayed a great gesture of humanitarian solidarity and South Asian regional togetherness.
When it comes to Nepal-Lanka disaster assistance, it wasn't the first. In 2025, Nepal also helped Sri Lanka's flood relief with USD 200,000 aid. A year later, Sri Lanka gave five times more assistance to Nepal. Nepal and Sri Lanka have many things in common. Volleyball is their national games. Both countries are known for hydropower production and tea exports. Cricket craze and Buddhism culture are also shared by the both nations. The two South Asian sky neighbors have exhibited that despite poor regional mechanism on SAARC level, countries can and should work on bilateral level for each other's tragedy. Land-locked Himalayan nation Nepal and Indian Ocean Island nation Sri Lanka are templet for other similar regional humanitarian assistance in the days ahead.
Since 2014, SAARC, the regional grouping of eight countries namely Nepal, Sri Lanka, India, Bhutan, Pakistan, Maldives, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, is not taking off on political level owing to Indo-Pak bilateral irritants. Still, countries like Nepal and Sri Lanka are closely working on bilateral tragedy. India-headquartered SAARC Disaster Management Center has done nothing for its regional relevancy in regional level.
Though, on 15 March 2020, a SAARC level meeting was called by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to fight Covid-19 pandemic. Similar regional gatherings are nonexistent thereafter. Even Dhaka-headquartered India-midwifed BIMSTEC with Indian diplomat as Secretary General is not doing anything on regional level to fight disaster like Nepal's. At a time when India-ignored SAARC to India-loved BIMSTEC are doing nothing to face transboundary tragedies both on monetary and technical aspects, it is indispensable for nations to act bilaterally or militarily.
The fun fact is that EU is sending aids on behalf of regional grouping from Europe but already existed regional bodies like SAARC and BIMSTEC are absent in this collective regional solidary which is why bilateral ties is crucial for regional countries.
Besides, exchange of cash in disasters, Nepal and Sri Lanka must work closely on other issues of disaster management, rescue, relief and rehabilitations in terms of technical cooperation, knowledge-sharing and more. Nepal's knowledge and human resources on high altitude rescue could be a learning lesson for Sri Lanka and Sri Lanka's water rescue expertise could be a great lesson for Nepal's flood and inundation tragedies. This collaboration can be carried out in various domains from rescuers to academicians to researchers. This is possible only from the decisions on political level. Right now, all I can say is- Dear Sri Lankans! A million thanks from Nepal for your great gesture in our difficult hours.
(Birat Anupam is Kathmandu-based journalist and award-winning author who writes mainly on tourism, diplomacy and the environment)
