A man walks towards his flooded house on the bank of Bagmati river following heavy monsoon rains in Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, July 6, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

At least 62 people were killed and 90 others sustained injuries in rain-related incidents across Nepal over the past four weeks since the onset of the monsoon season, according to home ministry officials on July 7.

The primary causes of these monsoon-related deaths are landslides, floods, and lightning strikes, they said.

Of the fatalities, 34 people were killed by landslides, while 28 succumbed to floods resulting from incessant rains. Additionally, seven individuals are reported missing in connection with these natural calamities, the officials said.

The heavy rains and subsequent floods and landslides have caused significant property damage as well. At least 121 houses have been inundated, and 82 others have been damaged. The natural disasters have displaced a total of 1,058 households across the country.

In response to the crisis, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ has directed all state mechanisms to prioritise the protection of lives affected by monsoon floods, landslides, and inundations.

During a briefing at the Singha Durbar-based control room on Sunday, the prime minister instructed all state agencies to focus on the rescue and relief efforts for citizens impacted by these natural disasters.

He also urged all citizens to remain vigilant against potential disasters and called upon political parties, civil societies, and social organisations to collaborate in mitigating disaster risks and ensuring the safety of the citizens.

Meanwhile, all the gates of Gandak barrage have been opened after the water level in Narayani river rose to above the warning level, MyRepublica news portal reported.

The flow of water in Gandak barrage was measured at 440,750 cusecs at 7:00 am in the morning.

Quoting the Saptakoshi Water Measurement centre, the report said 41 sluice gates of the Koshi barrage have been opened after the flow of water increased to warning levels.

A man walks towards his flooded house on the bank of Bagmati river following heavy monsoon rains in Kathmandu, Nepal, Saturday, July 6, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

At least two workers building a tunnel at a hydropower project in Nepal were killed and ten injured as heavy rain lashed Kathmandu and other parts of the country on July 5 and 6, officials said.

Two labourers died on July 5 after they were buried in the tunnel of the under-construction Bhotekoshi Hydropower Project in Sindhupalchowk district, 125 km East of Kathmandu.

Their bodies have been recovered.

As many as 12 workers were buried when the dam side tunnel of Jhirpu Electro Power Company Limited, which is under construction in Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality, collapsed following heavy rainfall.

The police said 10 workers were injured in the incident. The injured were rescued and admitted to a local hospital for treatment.

Separately, an 18-year-old boy went missing after the Rapti River in the Dang district of Western Nepal swept him away.

However, two other men who were stranded on a tree near the swollen river were rescued by security personnel, according to the police.

A woman has also gone missing in Dolakha district, about 180 kilometres East of Kathmandu, after being swept away by the flooding river.

The police have started a riverbank patrolling after the water level of rivers in the Kathmandu Valley increased alarmingly in the wake of incessant rainfall.

Most places in Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini provinces received light to moderate rain while heavy rainfall occurred in a few places of Bagmati, Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali.

The flood in the Hanumante river in Bhaktapur district near Kathmandu triggered by heavy rainfall has reached above the danger level and started entering the local residential areas.

More than 600 houses are at risk due to the swelling river, said the police.

Dinesh Raj Mainali, the spokesperson at the Kathmandu Valley Police Office, said the police have started patrolling to prevent untoward incidents along the river corridors in the Valley.

“We mobilised police teams on the banks of rivers and streams, considering the possible risks of floods and inundations in the nearby settlements.”

The police vehicles are on constant watch along the riverside — Bagmati, Bishnumati, Manohara and Hanumante rivers, the spokesperson said.