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The government’s disaster response efforts to the recent floods and landslides that swept across Nepal proved woefully short. The tragic loss of 233 lives, with 22 still missing, paints a grim picture of the magnitude of the catastrophe triggered by heavy rainfall. The government's sluggish and inadequate response compounded this natural disaster into a crisis of governance.

Close to the Capital, a family of four was swept away by a rain-swollen Nakkhu river while waiting for hours for help to arrive. As many as 35 people were crushed inside their vehicles when landslide debris fell on them while waiting for the road to clear, a mere few kilometers before reaching the Nagdhunga entry point to the Kathmandu Valley. The bodies could be recovered only after two days. In Timal village in adjoining Kavre, it took three days for authorities to start the search for people buried under the debris. These incidents show this is not merely nature's wrath but a damning indictment of our disaster preparedness and response mechanisms.

Though the Weather Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology had forecast heavy rainfall, the authorities did not take any proactive measures. No effort was made to relocate people living on river banks to higher grounds. As a result the capital city, supposedly the nation's most developed area, crumbled under three days of incessant rains. Hundreds of people were displaced in the capital alone as houses near riverbanks were waterlogged, exposing deep-rooted issues in our urban planning and infrastructure development. This is not a new problem though. Successive governments have failed to address it comprehensively. 

The economic toll of this disaster is mounting with preliminary studies estimating losses at over Rs 18bn. Agriculture, one of the largest contributors to gross domestic production (GDP), was among the worst-hit with crops ready for harvest destroyed by floods and landslides. Roads have been washed away at multiple locations. As we approach Dashain, a time for family reunions, the government faces the daunting task of restoring connectivity and ensuring a safe passage for millions of people. The immediate need is for efficient rescue and relief operations, followed by swift infrastructure restoration. 

Transfer of officials for their alleged failure to effectively respond to the crisis alone is not sufficient. The country needs a paradigm shift in disaster management. The government must invest in robust early warning systems, strengthen emergency response capabilities, implement stricter building codes and urban planning regulations, and train its employees on disaster preparedness. We must prepare well as climate change is certain to exacerbate such extreme weather events in the coming days.

Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba had a bilateral meeting with Deputy Prime Minister of the Kyrgyz Republic, Edil Baisalov, on the sidelines of the Third ACD Summit in Doha.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the two leaders exchanged views on further strengthening friendly relations between the two nations.

Likewise, Foreign Minister Rana held a bilateral meeting with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar U Than Swe on the sidelines of the Summit. The Ministry stated that discussions were focused on various aspects of Nepal-Myanmar relations.

Addressing the Third ACD Summit in Doha on Thursday, Minister Rana stated that Nepal strongly values multilateralism and regional cooperation as pillars of regional and global peace, stability, and prosperity.

The death toll from the recent flooding and landslides has reached 239 while 19 others are missing as of Thursday evening, the Ministry of Home Affairs said.

Likewise, as many as 177 people are injured in the monsoon-induced disasters, Ministry's Spokesperson Rishiram Tiwari shared.

According to Tiwari, so far 17,131 people have been rescued from flood and landslide-affected areas

Likewise, the government has given top priority to rescue and relief operations and efforts are going on to resume vehicular movement by carrying out maintenance works on the highways that suffered damages in the recent incidents of flooding, inundation and landslides.

The highways and road networks in Bagmati Province have witnessed serious damages in the disasters, authorities said.

The country has witnessed the influence of monsoon winds and partial effects of the low-pressure system formed in southwest Bangladesh and the adjoining areas, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.

Currently, the weather is partly to generally cloudy in Koshi and Bagmati Provinces while it is partly cloudy in the rest of the country. Likewise, light to moderate rainfall with thunder and lightning is taking place in some places in Koshi and Bagmati Provinces.

Similarly, the weather will remain partly to generally cloudy in Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and partly cloudy in the remaining provinces in the afternoon.

Light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is likely to occur at a few places in Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and at a few places in other provinces.

Likewise, heavy rain is predicted at one or two places in Koshi Province.

According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division, the weather will be partly to generally cloudy in Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and one or two places of other provinces are likely to receive light to moderate rain along with thunder tonight.

Likewise, there is a chance of storms in some parts of Tarai belt in Koshi province.

The Department has urged people to remain alert to avoid the risk of floods, landslides and inundation in view of possible heavy rainfall at one or two places in Koshi Province.

The Russian House in Kathmandu and the Museum of Modern Nepalese Art (MoNA) jointly hosted an art exhibition titled Tales of Two Worlds: Myths and Legends of Russia and Nepal, in honor of the 150th anniversary of Russian painter Nikolay Roerich. The event, which took place on October 2, also saw the signing of an Agreement on Intent to Promote Russian Culture in Nepal, further solidifying cultural ties between the two nations.

The exhibition showcases a diverse collection of reproductions from renowned Russian painters and graphic designers, including Andrei Rublev, Victor and Appolinari Vasnetsov, Ilya Repin, Mikhail Nesterov, Vasily Surikov, and Nikolay Roerich, among others. Representing Nepal, the works of celebrated artists such as Manik Mann Chitrakar, Tej Bahadur Chitrakar, Gyankar Badrachary, Rajan Panta, and Seema Sharma Shah were on display.

Through these reproduced masterpieces, the exhibition delves into the myths, legends, and folklore that have influenced the civilizations and contemporary societies of both Russia and Nepal. The collection aims to familiarize visitors with the artistic heritage and cultural narratives that have shaped both countries over centuries. This event is considered a significant step toward enhancing cultural cooperation between Nepal and Russia.

Annapurna Media Network (AMN) celebrated its inaugural ‘AMN Day’ on the occasion of Ghatasthapana, marking a new tradition for the company. During the event, AMN announced plans to hold the celebration annually. 

Staff exchanged festive greetings for Dashain, Tihar, and Chhath, while top-performing employees were recognized from every department for their achievements.

Kamal Dev Bhattarai, Editor of The Annapurna Express, was honored with the ‘Chairman’s Excellence Award’ at the ceremony. Pratik Ghimire, News Coordinator of The Annapurna Express, along with Meena Kumari Singh of Annapurnapost.com, Dinesh Gautam of Annapurna Post, Keshar Raj Chhetri, Butwal Correspondent of Annapurna Post, and Bibhor Adhikari of Radio Annapurna were also recognized.

Additionally, Binod Koirala, Senior Marketing Manager, and Binod Pun of the Circulation Department received awards. Likewise, Bikesh Shakya from the Human Resources and Administration Department, Rupak Ghimire from the Finance Department, and JK Deula, Office Assistant, were honored.

The company also awarded the best advertising agencies that have consistently collaborated with AMN.

Rajan Babu Shrestha, Managing Director of Join Media House; Ashok Ghimire, Managing Director of Future Hub Media Multipurpose Pvt Ltd; Devraj Gurung, Managing Director of Rainbow Media; Raju Dhungel, Managing Director of Impressions A Creative Design Pvt Ltd; Sanjiv Pokharel and Toran Karmacharya of Kite Advertising Agency; Sujan Bagale of Karobar Media; Sabin Shakya, Managing Director of Max Media; Uma Khanal and Sujit Singh of Outreach Nepal; and Shiva Neupane, CEO of Media Sense, were all honored.

Chairperson Capt Rameshwar Thapa acknowledged the challenges facing the global media industry, stating, “The global media business is in crisis, and we are no exception. Yet, we are striving to improve the situation.” He expressed gratitude to the staff for their dedication and hard work during difficult times.

Tejeswar Babu Gonga, a retired professor and cultural expert, praised AMN’s contribution to Nepali journalism and society. Gonga, a regular contributor to Annapurna Post, commended AMN for its consistent efforts.

AMN’s media outlets include Annapurna Post (Nepali daily), The Annapurna Express (English daily), annapurnapost.com, Radio Annapurna, and AP1 HD TV.

The government has reported that the floods and landslides triggered by heaving rainfall last week caused damages worth more than Rs 17bn.

According to the preliminary damage assessment report prepared by the government, the disaster incidents caused damage of more than Rs 6bn to the agriculture sector alone. The report states that paddy crops alone suffered damages worth Rs 3.5bn. Floods and landslides affected paddy crops on 58,476 hectares in Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa, Nawalparasi East, Baglung, Khotang, Jhapa, Kailali, Lamjung, Parvat, Kaski, Syangja, Makwanpur, Kavre and Sindhuli.

Likewise, floodwaters caused damages worth Rs 1.13bn to fisheries on 458 hectares in Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara and Parsa. Similarly, sugarcane crops on 85 hectares worth Rs 340m were destroyed by the floods. Additionally, 24 animal sheds were damaged in Panchthar, Dhankuta, and Terhathum, while floods and landslides claimed a total of 26,205 livestock in Panchthar, Ilam, Sunsari, Dhankuta, Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga, Ramechhap, Dolakha, Lalitpur and all districts of Madhes.

According to the report, floods and landslides destroyed orchards on 22 hectares in Kaski, Nawalparasi East, Kanchanpur and Rautahat, as well as vegetables on 4,743 hectares in Khotang, Makwanpur, Chitwan, Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Bara and Parsa. Office infrastructure sustained damages amounting to Rs 160m across various districts, according to the agriculture ministry.

Likewise, there have been significant damages to energy, drinking water, road and irrigation infrastructure. The energy sector has suffered damages worth around Rs 4bn. As many as 16 hydropower projects with an installed capacity of 667.93 MW suffered damages due to floods and landslides, while 18 under-construction projects with total capacity of 1139.19 MW suffered damages. Projects like Upper Tamakoshi (456 MW), Mandu Hydropower (22 MW), two projects on Hewa Khola with combined capacity of 36.9 MW and Solu Dudhkoshi (86 MW), among others, suffered significant damages. Similarly, five major transmission towers have suffered damages.

Likewise, state-owned Nepal Telecom has reported damage at 312 sites. 

“Although the agricultural sector is estimated to have suffered the most damage, the details of the damage to agricultural crops will be prepared within one month,” said Chief Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal. “A total of 21 districts have been affected by floods and landslides. Of them, Kavre, Lalitpur, Dhading, Kathmandu, Sindhupalchok, Sindhuli and Makwanpur have been affected the most.”

Aryal said that temporary housing will be arranged for people displaced by disaster incidents. 

According to him, families, who have lost their homes in the disaster, will be immediately identified as beneficiaries and grant amounts will be distributed for temporary housing construction. The families will be provided with Rs 25,000 each as the first installment of housing grant, according to Aryal.

“Obstructed strategic roads across the country will be reopened with increased urgency. We will install Bailey bridges on important roads where bridges have been washed away by floods and landslides,” he added.

Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall last weekend have claimed 224 lives, while 24 are missing and 158 people have been injured.

Minister of State for Foreign Trade of United Arab Emirates (UAE) Thani Ahmed Al Zeyoudi called on Minister for Foreign Affairs Arzu Rana Deuba on the sidelines of Third Summit of Asia Cooperation Dialogue (ACD) in Doha on Wednesday.

Discussions were focused on cordial and cooperative Nepal-UAE relations and cooperation in various areas including trade, tourism, investment, air connectivity and foreign employment, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.