Prime Minister Balendra Shah on Wednesday defended the government’s response to the Bhotekoshi floods, telling Parliament that authorities acted as soon as they received information about the disaster and had coordinated with provincial and local governments from the outset.

Shah’s statement came as the government faces growing criticism over its handling of the August 26 floods, which killed and displaced people and caused extensive damage across Rasuwa and downstream districts.

Addressing the House of Representatives, Shah responded to five questions that have emerged over the government’s rescue, relief and recovery efforts.

The first concerned why government agencies had failed to provide a timely warning to downstream communities before the flood struck.

Shah said the disaster was beyond what government agencies could reasonably have forecast and that security personnel were sent to warn residents as soon as information about the approaching flood became available.

“This was a major event. It was beyond the scope of disaster forecasting,” Shah said.

He said security personnel had been deployed to alert local communities, but some of them were themselves swept away and remain missing.

The second question concerned the government’s decision to bury unidentified bodies recovered from the flood instead of keeping them in cold storage.

Shah defended the decision, saying only bodies that could not be immediately identified had been buried and that DNA samples and other identifying information had been preserved.

“The flood carried the bodies of those who died to different places,” he said. “On legal and scientific grounds, we have temporarily managed underground only those bodies that could not be identified immediately, while preserving DNA and other identifying evidence.”

He said the bodies would be handed over to families once DNA matches were established, allowing relatives to perform final rites according to their religious traditions.

The third concern was why foreign experts had not been brought in sooner to assist with rescue and relief operations.

Shah rejected suggestions that the government had been reluctant to accept foreign assistance.

“It was unthinkable for us not to seek foreign assistance during such a major disaster,” he said.

According to Shah, the government had been coordinating with the international community from the beginning and had sought to expedite procedures for receiving assistance.

Teams from India and China expressed interest in helping soon after the disaster, he said. Foreign experts eventually reached the affected areas once conditions allowed helicopters to land and heavy equipment to operate.

The prime minister said the teams had initially conducted aerial assessments but could not land safely because of conditions on the ground.

The fourth question was about the slow progress in rescuing people believed to be trapped inside hydropower tunnels in Rasuwa and Nuwakot.

The search for the workers has become one of the most difficult parts of the rescue operation, Shah said.

Searches inside the affected hydropower tunnels are continuing under the leadership of the Nepali Army, with international experts involved, he said.

“Search and rescue operations are continuing in the tunnels of the affected hydropower projects under the leadership of the Nepal Army and with international experts,” Shah said.

The fifth question concerned criticism that the government had relied too heavily on security forces, particularly the Nepali Army, instead of working closely with provincial and local authorities.

Shah rejected the criticism, saying the federal government had been in continuous contact with provincial and local governments and elected representatives from the beginning.

He said he had travelled to Nuwakot and held discussions with the Bagmati provincial government, including the chief minister.

He added that the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority later held discussions with provincial authorities and agreed that all levels of government needed to shoulder greater responsibility for disaster management.

Shah said the government was continuing its response but needed cooperation from all sides.

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives adopted a special motion on Wednesday expressing grief over the loss of life and extensive damage caused by the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli floods.