Continuous heavy rains in Nepal have worsened the situation in many areas. Amidst floods and landslides, a large part of the mountain on the banks of Kali Gandaki river suddenly came down. The video of the incident has surfaced on social media, in which a part of the mountain is seen falling towards the river within a few seconds. During this time, screams of people present nearby are also heard.
According to officials, due to heavy rains for the last three days, incidents of landslides and rising water level of rivers have been reported in many districts of Nepal. At least 24 people have died so far in this natural disaster, while 14 people are reported missing.
Three days of rain worsened the situation
This disaster has come in Nepal at a time when the country had not fully recovered from the flash flood incident in August. After August 26, continuous rain has once again increased the problems. Manang, Myagdi, Baglung and Parvat of Gandaki province are among the most affected districts. Palpa in Lumbini province has also suffered damage due to rain and landslides. At the same time, problems of waterlogging and soil erosion have come to light in some parts of the southern Terai region.
According to officials, 10 people have died in Baglung, 6 in Myagdi, 2 in Manang and 5 in Palpa. One person has lost his life due to landslide in Mithila Municipality area of Dhanusha.
14 people still missing
14 people are reported missing amid this disaster. These include 10 people from Manang, 3 from Myagdi and one from Baglung. Two people have been injured in Lamjung, while one person each has been reported injured in Baglung and Myagdi. According to Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, Kali Gandaki River has caused the most damage. Apart from this, due to increase in water in Narayani and Tinau rivers, situation of flood, erosion and waterlogging has arisen.
Rain wreaks havoc on hundreds of families
747 families have been directly affected by heavy rains and landslides. According to officials, 143 houses have been completely destroyed, while 51 houses have been partially damaged. In Gandaki province itself, 195 houses have been completely damaged and 26 houses have been partially damaged. About 1,500 people along with 435 families had to move to safer places.
The situation is said to be more serious in the mountain districts. At least 106 houses have been completely destroyed here, while four have been partially damaged. Due to this, about 540 people from 162 families had to leave their homes.
Contact between two districts lost due to bridge washing away
The rise in the water level of Kali Gandaki river has also affected roads and bridges. A concrete bridge connecting Syangja and Gulmi was completely washed away in the strong current of the river. It has been told that the bridge was already damaged, but after the flow of the river increased on Sunday, it broke completely. Overall, six bridges have been completely damaged, while two bridges have been partially damaged. Apart from this, three government offices have been completely and three partially damaged. Livestock has also been affected by rain and floods. 15 cattle sheds have been completely destroyed and two have been damaged. Information about the death of 44 animals in accidents has come to light. Three two-wheelers and 15 four-wheelers were also damaged.
Avalanche in Himlung Himal, two people died
An avalanche incident also occurred in Himlung Himal located in Narphu area of Manang on Sunday. Two people died in this. Both have not been identified yet. According to Binod Bohra, acting chief police inspector of Manang District Police Office, the avalanche occurred after several days of rain. The deceased were part of a team of 22 people, which included 9 climbers and 13 support staff.
10 members of the team are in contact with Phu village of Narphu, while the status of the remaining 10 people is not yet known. A helicopter was sent from Kathmandu for the rescue operation, but the operation became difficult on Sunday due to bad weather. According to the police, the search and rescue operation was to be started again on Monday morning when the weather improved.
Impact on power projects also
The flood in Kali Gandaki river has also affected Nepal’s electricity system. All three gates of Mirmi Dam of 144 MW Kali Gandaki ‘A’ Hydropower Project at Beltari in Syangja had to be opened completely. After this the power production was stopped.
At the same time, tower numbers 21 and 22 of the 220 KV Kali Gandaki Corridor transmission line between Dana, Myagdi and Kushma, Parvat have also been damaged. Problems faced in Kushma-New Butwal transmission line have affected the power generation of 358.2 MW. Electricity production in many other hydropower projects including Nilgiri and Rahughat has also been affected. At present, relief, rescue and damage assessment is going on in the affected areas.
Horrible scene of mountain falling seen in viral video
Amidst this entire incident, the video that surfaced on social media is attracting people’s attention. In the video, a large part of the mountain is seen suddenly breaking and coming down and the debris rapidly moves towards the Kali Gandaki river. The voices of the people present nearby have also been recorded. However, independent verification of the viral video and its exact location are not clear from the available details. At present, the data revealed by the officials shows the picture of damage caused by heavy rains, floods and landslides.