There is devastation everywhere in Nepal, 170 people have died so far due to floods and landslides; many highways are closed

Kathmandu: The death toll in rain-triggered floods and landslides in Nepal rose to 170 on Sunday, while 42 people are missing. Large parts of eastern and central Nepal have been submerged since Friday and flash floods have hit many parts of the country. According to police, 170 people have died so far due to floods and landslides in Nepal. According to Home Ministry officials, 42 people are missing due to floods and landslides. 

4,000 flood-affected people rescued

Home Ministry spokesman Rishiram Pokhrel said that 111 people have been injured in flood-related incidents. Pokhrel said that search and rescue operations are underway with the help of all security agencies. He said that the Nepal Army has airlifted 162 people stranded across the country. Pokhrel said that about 4,000 people affected by floods and waterlogging have been rescued by the Nepal Army, Nepal Police, and Armed Police Force personnel. He said that all necessary relief materials, including food grains, have been distributed to the rescued people. 

Many national highways were closed.

Spokesperson Rishiram Pokhrel said that national highways have been blocked since Saturday due to landslides and hundreds of people are stranded on various highways. Pokhrel said that efforts are being made to open the national highways blocked due to floods, landslides, and waterlogging. He said that traffic has resumed on Tribhuvan Highway, the main land route connecting Kathmandu to other districts. According to officials, at least 322 houses and 16 bridges have been damaged in Nepal due to the floods. 

A devastating flood was seen after 40-45 years.

Eyewitnesses said they had never seen such devastating floods and waterlogging in the Kathmandu Valley in 40-45 years. Arun Bhakta Shrestha, a climate and environment expert at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), said, “I have never seen floods on this scale in Kathmandu before.” A report published by ICMOD on Saturday said that Kathmandu’s main river Bagmati was flowing above the danger mark after heavy rains in eastern and central Nepal on Friday and Saturday. It said that low-pressure conditions over the Bay of Bengal and monsoon caused exceptionally heavy rains on Saturday. Scientists say that climate change is causing changes in the amount and timing of rainfall across Asia, but a major reason for the increasing impact of floods is human activities such as unplanned construction. 

Landslide kills 6 football players.

Floods and landslides have disrupted life in many parts of the country. Many highways and roads have been blocked, hundreds of houses and bridges have been damaged and hundreds of families have been displaced. Thousands of passengers are stranded at various places due to the blockage of roads. Officials said that at least 19 people died when a bus was buried in a landslide in Dhading district bordering Kathmandu on Saturday. Five people died when a house collapsed due to a landslide in Bhaktapur city. At a training center run by the ‘All India Nepal Association in Makawanpur, six football players lost their lives in a landslide incident and others were swept away by floodwaters. Meanwhile, there was some relief on Sunday despite the forecast of rain continuing till Tuesday.