Nepal, Sept. 7 -- The flash floods of August 26 along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems have left a trail of immense destruction. With over 1,300 people confirmed dead, around 5,000 still missing, and billions of dollars worth of property destroyed, the disaster is the most catastrophic event Nepal has faced in a decade. The scale of the disaster is being compared to the 2015 earthquakes, which claimed around 9,000 lives and left around 22,000 injured. Having led the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) through the aftermath of the cataclysmic earthquakes, Govinda Raj Pokharel brings a wealth of administrative experience to Nepal's latest climate catastrophe.

In a conversation with The Post's Biken K Dawadi, former NRA chief P...