A major flood struck the China-Nepal border region last month, leaving thousands dead or missing and causing extensive infrastructure damage. Among the hardest-hit areas is Betrawati, a village in Rasuwa district that was largely destroyed in minutes, with most structures swept away and basic supplies becoming scarce in the immediate aftermath.
A significant complication has emerged for grieving families: Nepal’s Civil Code requires 12 years to legally presume a missing person dead, with no specific exception for disaster situations. This has created a legal barrier preventing relatives from obtaining death certificates, which are necessary to access government compensation and resolve property transfers and inheritance matters. Families can receive up to 25,000 rupees for funeral expenses plus additional bereavement compensation, but only upon submission of an official death certificate. Local government officials have turned away families seeking certificates, citing ongoing discussions about how to address the issue.
Experts argue the 12-year requirement is outdated, having been designed for cases involving people who traveled abroad and lost contact. Constitutional law specialist Bipin Adhikari notes that modern communication technology makes such lengthy presumption periods unnecessary. The Bidur municipality, which encompasses parts of the affected area, estimates more than 3,000 buildings have been damaged or destroyed—the highest figure among any municipality in the region.
The government estimates total disaster damages at approximately £123 million across more than 8,300 households, with an average loss of around £14,800 per household based on available data. The overall reconstruction bill could reach £3.6 billion, exceeding 10% of Nepal’s gross domestic product. Prime Minister Balen Shah has appealed for international grant-based support rather than additional loans to fund rebuilding efforts. Meanwhile, identifying recovered bodies remains slow, with more than 1,400 recovered so far but limited DNA processing capacity. Local officials are urging federal intervention to resolve the death certificate issue before families face years of administrative delays in accessing disaster relief funds.
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