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The Surkhet-Jumla road section along the Karnali Highway has remained disrupted after its segment caved-in at Kalekhola, Kalikot.

With this, the roadway has remained completely closed since last night.

According to the Road Division Office Chief Dipendra Kumar Chaudhary, the required workforce has been mobilized to undertake the restoration efforts.

It is to take some time to restore the damaged section, he said, urging one and all to opt for an alternative route for the necessary travel.

World Lake Day is being observed for the first time across the globe today.

According to the United Nations, there are more than 117 million lakes on earth, covering some four percent of land surface.

The lakes are reliable sources of fresh water to the entire planet, but it is worrying that the quality of lake water is declining fast for some years.

"If we continue to put pressure on them, lakes will face a serious decline. By 2050, their ecosystem value could drop by 20 percent; pollution could more than double, and methane emissions may surge—fueling both environmental damage and economic loss. Freshwater species have declined by 85 percent over the past 50 years," UN stated.

The observation of the World Lake Day is expected to create public awareness on present threats to the world's lakes and promote initiatives for the preservation, restoration and sustainable management of lakes.

The UN had organized an event, zeroing in on the importance of lakes, thereby passing the Resolution A/RES/79/142 that determined August 27 as the World Lake Day. The UN Environment Program has been designated as the chief agency facilitating the observation of the Day.

The UN Resolution passed in 2024 had emphasized, "Water ecosystems, including lakes, energy, food security and nutrition are linked and that water is indispensable for health, well-being and human development, and a vital element of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and other relevant goals in the social, environmental and economic fields."

It further recognized the urgency to revive fast declining quality and quantity of lake water in the world.

The SDG Knowledge Hub has described contaminants, fertilizers, and solid waste as major pollutants to the lakes.

The Weather Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has informed that the low pressure belt of monsoon is currently towards south and west of its average range. 

With the generally cloudy weather across the country today, few places of hilly regions in Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and Tarai region are likely to have moderate rainfall. However, very few places in Koshi and Gandaki Provinces will see heavy rainfall in their hilly regions.

It will be partly to generally cloudy weather in the hilly areas of Koshi, Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces tonight, the weather service added. 

Few places in Tarai and of Koshi, Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces are likely to have heavy rains. 

The Division cautioned the concerned sector, especially the road transport, to remain aware of the possible floods and debris flow in the streams and rivers in the wake of possibility of rainfall.

Birgunj Metropolitan City has decided to close the schools for three more days in view of the cholera outbreak.

Chief of education division at metropolis, Anand Lamichhane, informed that the schools would remain closed from August 27 to 29 in a bid to contain cholera spread.

It was decided by a meeting chaired by the Mayor. 

All community and institutional schools will postpone the teaching learning activities during these days, he added.

The local level has further requested the teachers and employees at schools to form teams and mobilize in the community to spread public awareness against cholera. Earlier, the schools were closed for Sunday and Monday.