Nepal rain triggers fresh floods as death toll stays above 1,450

Relentless rain across Nepal since Thursday has triggered fresh floods and landslides, swept away houses and disrupted road traffic, according to a media report. The fresh damage has come as the Himalayan country continues to deal with a disaster that has killed at least 1,453 people, while more than 5,000 remain missing.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said 1,451 bodies had been recovered till Saturday, a month after flash floods originating near the Nepal-Tibet border devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal. Two others died while undergoing treatment. A total of 13,795 people had been rescued till Saturday, the authority said.

In Rupandehi district in Lumbini province, floodwaters from the Tinau River swept away six houses along the riverbank in Butwal on Saturday night after the river rose above its danger level, the Kathmandu Post reported. A police official was quoted as saying that around 200 houses along the riverbank in Butwal were at risk, and security personnel evacuated about 1,000 people overnight after the Tinau and nearby streams swelled amid continued rain.

Authorities first moved around 500 residents from Majhuwa, a high-risk area in Butwal Metropolitan City-13, to the Durga Temple holding centre, the report said. They were later shifted to safer places in various schools in Butwal-11. The Tinau crossed its danger mark at around 8 pm on Saturday, prompting rescue and evacuation operations. The Rupandehi district administration has urged people living near rivers and streams to stay alert and move to safer areas if water levels rise further.

In Chitwan district of Bagmati province, the Narayani River and the Riu stream crossed their danger levels early on Sunday as rain continued. At the Devghat gauge station, the Narayani reached 9.23 metres at around 5.15 am, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology. The warning level there is 7.3 metres and the danger level is 9 metres. The Riu, which flows along the boundary of Madi and Chitwan National Park, reached 3.92 metres. Its warning level is 3.4 metres and its danger level is 3.8 metres, the Kathmandu Post reported. The Riu flows through southern Chitwan before joining the Rapti River near Meghauli and eventually draining into the Narayani.

Heavy rain also triggered landslides and mudslides at several points in Chitwan, disrupting road traffic. At Dharapani in Ichchhakamana Rural Municipality-4, part of the road subsided further and a mud-laden landslide blocked traffic in both directions, a police official said. A landslide at Simaldhara in the same municipality also blocked the road in both directions.

Flood and landslide risks also remained high in Karnali, where river levels continued to rise. The Thuli Bheri River in Dolpa reached 3.46 metres, just below its 3.56-metre warning level and 3.76-metre danger level, with the water level still rising. In Humla, the Karnali River at Sarkegad stood at 2.74 metres, below its 4-metre warning level, but was rising. The river level at Biunhidhanda was 2.42 metres. The Mugu Karnali stood at 5.1 metres, below its 7.5-metre warning level and 9-metre danger level, with the water level rising.

A landslide blocked the Nagna-Gamgadhi road at Jharikhola in Mugu, the report said. In Kalikot, a mudslide at Gagne Khola in Shubhakalika Rural Municipality-1 blocked the Karnali Highway. The Tila Karnali there stood at 3.27 metres, below its 5-metre warning level and 5.45-metre danger level, with the river level falling. Landslides also disrupted traffic along the Karnali Corridor at Khaccha in Sarkegad-1, Gopchegauda in Kharpunath-1 and Yalwang in Namkha-4 in Humla. In Jumla, water levels in the Tila Karnali and Sija rivers remained stable at 3.74 metres and 2.86 metres respectively.

With rain continuing, authorities across the affected districts have urged residents in flood- and landslide-prone areas to remain alert and move to safety when needed. On Saturday, flooding from the Narayani and Saptakoshi rivers inundated 389 houses in Nawalparasi West and Saptari districts, forcing hundreds of families to move to safer locations.

With PTI Inputs