As the monsoon season begins in Nepal, at least 25 people are missing, and one death has been officially ruled as a result of flooding and landslides in the east of the country.
All of the incidents, according to the police, were reported within a 24-hour period beginning on Saturday evening in three different districts of Eastern Nepal. Sankhuwasabha, one of the areas affected by the nonstop rain since Saturday night, has reported the disappearance of 16 employees from a hydropower project.
“16 workers of Super Hewakhola Hydropower have gone missing after floods in Hewakhola since Saturday evening. The floods have swept away seven houses,” Birendra Godar, the head of the district police office told. “A worker’s body has been found offshore. We are trying to establish the identity of the deceased,” he further added.
As per Deputy Superintendent of Police Hari Khatiwada, at least five people have been reported missing in a flooding incident in Panchthar, and the road connection to various parts of the district has also been disrupted.
Four people are missing in Taplejung after a landslip destroyed homes there. According to the Police, a search operation is being conducted for the missing people. During the monsoon season, Nepal has seen a number of disasters brought on by torrential rains that resulted in landslides, flooding, and inundation.
Nepal’s Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal conveyed his sorrow over the reported incidents and instructed officials to revamp the search and rescue effort on Sunday morning.
“I am deeply saddened by the loss of property caused by the floods in various districts of the country. In addition, I sincerely appeal to the general public for their support by directing the security agencies and national service personnel to actively search for, rescue and relieve the missing persons,” Nepal prime minister tweeted from his official handle.
Nepal to face the fury of floods and landslides: NDRRMA
Earlier this month, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority estimated that this year’s monsoon would have an impact on 1.25 million people. “An estimated 1.298 million individuals from 286,998 households will be affected by the disaster,” the projection by disaster management authority estimated.
As per estimates, about 400,000 people in the Madhesh province and 300,000 people in the Koshi province will be impacted. The disaster is expected to have a negative impact on an estimated 200,000 people in Lumbini Province, 100,000 in Bagmati Province, 147,000 in Sudurpaschim Province, 69,000 in Gandaki Province, and 35,000 in Karnali Province. Last year, there were about 2 million people affected.
The NDRRMA has also approved an action plan that calls for the analysis of risks associated with the monsoon season and the evaluation of those risks’ effects, as well as the participation of various ministries and relevant sectors, non-governmental organisations like the Nepal Red Cross, in working on disaster management, search and rescue operations, and the distribution of aid supplies.
The NDRRMA has also approved an action plan that calls for analysing risks associated with the monsoon and evaluating their effects, as well as involving non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like the Nepal Red Cross in working on disaster management, search and rescue operations, and the distribution of relief supplies.
Monsoon arrives in Nepal a day later than then usual date, significantly lesser rain predicted
Despite the fact that the Himalayan Nation has already begun to experience losses and damages as a result of the monsoon, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has predicted that this year’s monsoon will bring less rain to the region.
Due to less rainfall, it is also predicted that the maximum temperature will be higher than in the past. Typically, the monsoon arrives in Nepal in the middle of June and lasts there for about 100 days. The Meteorological Forecasting Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology stated that monsoon clouds arrived in Nepal on Wednesday, one day later than the typical date.
In a special bulletin published by the division on Wednesday afternoon said, “This year’s monsoon system entered today [Wednesday] into Koshi Province, eastern Madhesh, almost all parts of Bagmati Province, and the eastern part of Gandaki Province.”
The Met division estimates that it will take a few days for the phenomenon to spread to the rest of the nation. The monsoon clouds typically take a week to cover the entire country. The majority of the districts in Koshi Province, the eastern regions of Madhesh Province, Bagmati Province, and Gandaki Province have experienced rainfall, according to meteorologists at the division.
In Nepal, the monsoon season typically lasts from June 13 to September 23. According to The Kathmandu Post, the monsoon arrived in the nation last year on June 5, eight days earlier than usual.
