Nepal’s Catholic leader reports famine risk after floods

Nepal’s senior Catholic leader has described desperate conditions in remote areas after recent floods and landslides cut off entire villages, leaving families stranded without food, medicine or clean water. Father Silas Bogati, the vicar general of the Diocese of Kathmandu, told Crux Now that damaged roads, collapsed bridges and broken phone lines have turned once-quick journeys into multi-day treks. “People can’t reach markets, clinics, or even churches,” he said. “Supplies that used to arrive in hours now take weeks.”

The disaster unfolded after unusually heavy pre-monsoon rains in May triggered flash floods and landslides across central and western Nepal. The government declared a state of emergency in several districts after rivers burst their banks, swallowing homes and washing out critical roads. Villagers in places like Sindhupalchok and Makwanpur have been cut off for more than two weeks, with helicopters the only way in or out. Local aid workers say many families are surviving on stored grain but face shortages of salt, oil and medicine as stocks run low. Health clinics have closed, and schools remain shut, deepening the crisis for children and elderly residents.

Father Bogati said Catholic parishes and local volunteers are coordinating food drops and mobile clinics where possible, but the scale of need vastly outstrips their capacity. “We’re doing what we can with what we have,” he said, “but without new roads or stable communications, help can’t reach the people who need it most.” The Church has called on the government to prioritize repairs to rural access routes and restore mobile networks in the worst-hit areas. Aid agencies warn that without urgent repairs, malnutrition and disease will rise as monsoon rains intensify in July and August.

Officials say the worst may still be ahead if the monsoon delivers more extreme weather. Engineers are working to reopen key routes, but progress is slow in mountainous terrain. The government has pledged cash assistance to affected families, yet distribution is hampered by the same blocked roads that keep people isolated. For now, villages remain ghost-like, with only the sound of rushing water and the occasional helicopter breaking the silence. The coming weeks will determine whether Nepal’s disaster response can outrun the rains—or if the crisis spirals further.