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The Forest Fire Management Week has begun today under the theme 'Effectiveness in Forest Fire Control: Participation of All Three Levels of Government and Community'. 

The Ministry of Forest and Environment has been observing Forest Fire Management Week from the month of Chaitra 1 to 7 in the lunar calendar every year as per the Forest Fire Management Strategy, 2067 BS.

The week is being observed by organizing various programs to increase public awareness for reducing and controlling forest fires. 

In an appeal on the occasion, Minister for Forest and Environment Madhav Prasad Chaulagain has said that increasing public awareness is very important for reducing and controlling forest fires and has requested all Division Forest Offices, Forest User Groups, Development and Conservation Partner Organizations and concerned stakeholders to conduct various awareness-raising programs in their respective areas of work during the week.

According to the ministry, public awareness programs, community and school-level orientation, publicity campaigns, information dissemination through local media, monitoring of risk areas, construction of fire lines in forest areas, sanitation and other appropriate fire management activities will be conducted during the week.

Director General of the Department of Forest and Soil Conservation Dhirendra Kumar Pradhan said that the risk of wild fire is particularly high in the Sudurpaschim, Bagmati and Karnali Provinces. 

He shared that the geographical distribution of wild fires indicates that the risk is high in the Tarai-Chure and mid-hill forest areas.

The risk of wild fire in the forest areas is high with the onset of the dry season in Nepal, especially from the month of Falgun to Jestha in the lunar calendar.

A total of 6,799 disaster incidents were recorded across the country in the past 11 months. 

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, 464 people have died while 38 people have gone missing and 1,814 injured in disaster incidents during the period.

The details provided by the NDRRMA states that 12,458 households have been affected by the disaster. 

The highest number of incidents that occurred during the period is fire, where 98 people died in 3,339 fire-related incidents.

The NDRRMA stated that 318 incidents of floods, 590 landslides, 429 heavy rains, 367 lightning strikes, 592 snake bites, and 246 wildfires were recorded during the period. 

Similarly, there were 292 incidents of windstorm, 488 wild animal attacks, and 119 landslides. 

There were five incidents of avalanches, seven earthquakes and two boat capsizing incidents. 

The weather will be generally cloudy in  the hilly and mountainous regions of Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpashchim Provinces, and will be partly cloudy in the remaining provinces today.

According to the Weather Forecasting Division, there is a possibility of moderate rain and snowfall with thunder and lightning at some places in the mountainous region of the country. 

There is also a possibility of moderate rain with thunder and lightning at some places in the hilly regions of Koshi, Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpashchim Provinces, at a few places in the hilly regions of the remaining provinces, and at one or two places in the Tarai regions of Lumbini and Sudurpashchim Provinces.

Meteorological Analysis by the Division says at present Nepal is under the partial influence of a westerly low-pressure system.

Twenty-one Nepali citizens, who were lured to Cambodia by various individuals and fell victim to online scams at illegally operated online scam centres and casinos there, have been rescued and brought back to Nepal.

They were involved in various illegal activities and staying in Cambodia without a visa.  

The 21 Nepalis were rescued with the initiative of the Nepali Embassy in Bangkok, Thailand, and the support of the Cambodian government, and were brought back to Nepal today with the facilitation of the Non-Resident Nepali Association Cambodia.

The embassy has stated that efforts are underway to bring back other Nepali nationals who are stranded or in difficult situations there.

The embassy said it has received information that Nepali citizens in Cambodia have been involved in online scams and other illegal activities, and have been staying there without a visa or beyond the visa period.

In this context, it has requested that Nepali citizens residing illegally or in difficult circumstances contact the Nepali Embassy in Bangkok or the representative of the Non-Resident Nepali Association in Cambodia to facilitate their return to Nepal.

Many complaints have been received of passports of those employed at scamming centres are confiscated by the company or lost when transferring from scamming centres. In such cases, the Nepali Embassy in Bangkok issues a free one time travel permit for return to Nepal.

According to the tourism statistics of Cambodia, 101 Nepalis visited Cambodia on a tourist visa in 2021, one thousand 977 in 2022, two thousand 940 in 2023, six thousand 404 in 2024, and 9,676 in 2025.