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The Meteorological Forecasting Division has predicted general changes in the weather across the country today. 

Moderate rainfall with thunder and lightning is likely to take place in several hilly areas of the Koshi, Lumbini, Karnali, and Sudurpashchim Provinces, as well as in some parts of the Tarai region this afternoon, the Division said. 

Similarly, there is a possibility of moderate rainfall accompanied by thunder and lightning in many hilly areas of the country, including the Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati, and Gandaki Provinces and some parts of the Tarai tonight. 

There are chances of heavy rainfall in some hilly areas of Bagmati Province. With this, there is a risk of soil erosion, flooding, and extreme water flow patterns, it is stated. 

The Division has urged all concerned to remain alert with chances of urban and Tarai areas experiencing flooding, and the water level rising in large and small rivers and streams. 

Further, the public and all relevant organizations have been advised to take precautionary and preparedness measures with excessive rainfall likely to impact daily life, agriculture, health, tourism, construction, road, and airways. 

Police have arrested a person for his alleged involvement in killing a 15-year-old girl. 

The arrestee has been identified as Rambabu Shah (35) of Ichhapur of Kshireshwornath Municipality-9. 

Anjali Kumari Yadav of Bateshwor Rural Municipality-5 in Dhanusa was found murdered at her rented room in Kataiyachauri of Janakpurdham Sub-Metropolitan City-4 on Monday. 

Prior to this, Yadav had spent a five-year jail term for murdering his spouse, police said. He was released some five years ago. 

Anjali's mother and another 14-year-old girl have been injured in the attack and are being treated at the Dharan-based BP Koirala Institute of Health Sciences.

Police are further investigating the case.

Despite being in the midst of the monsoon season, Madhes Province continues to face severe drought, leaving farmers in deep distress. With irrigation facilities available on only 49 percent of the province’s total cultivable land, the impact on agriculture is becoming increasingly dire.

The provincial and federal governments have declared Madhes a drought-affected and crisis-hit area, respectively. However, farmers and local officials report that no substantial action has yet been taken to address the crisis.

According to the Madhes Province Dry Zone Study Report—submitted by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development to Singha Durbar on July 28—poor management and a lack of maintenance of irrigation infrastructure lie at the heart of the problem. Of more than 1,000 deep tubewells installed since the Panchayat era by both the government and the private sector, over 50 percent are no longer operational.

The Kamala Irrigation Project under the Samruddha Tarai Madhes Irrigation Special Program has also faced major setbacks. In Saptari, Siraha, and Mahottari districts, only 98 out of 236 installed deep tubewells are functional. The remaining 138 are idle due to incomplete infrastructure, such as pump houses and electrification. Additionally, 68 deep tubewells constructed in fiscal year 2024/25 remain nonfunctional because their supporting structures have yet to be built.

Adding to the challenges, 13 deep tubewells in four districts have been rendered unusable due to the theft of key components like transformers and panel board wires. Others are blocked by debris—stones, bricks, and sand—or remain idle due to disputes between local water user committees and farming groups.

Older irrigation systems have also broken down. Under the now-defunct Janakpur Agricultural Development Plan, only 85 of 242 deep tubewells remain functional. Many of the rest—installed between 1984 and 1994—have failed due to issues such as clogged filters, outdated diesel engines, or overall technological obsolescence.

In rural areas, the need for shallow tubewells has become urgent, as surface irrigation systems like canals and dams remain insufficient or unevenly distributed.

Out of Madhes’s total 542,580 hectares of cultivable land, only 52,224 hectares are currently under cultivation this season. Rainfed rice, which relies entirely on monsoon rainfall, has been planted across 362,344 hectares, while Chaite rice covers 20,839 hectares.

Although rivers, canals, and lakes provide some irrigation, the main sources remain underground—primarily shallow and deep tubewells. The Ministry of Land Management, Agriculture and Cooperatives has warned that without urgent upgrades and investments, these systems will continue to fail farmers.

Districts like Saptari, Rautahat, Sarlahi, Bara, and Parsa are served by major canals such as the Koshi Chandra, Bagmati, and Gandak. However, large parts of Siraha and Dhanusha remain dependent on increasingly unreliable underground systems.

As the drought worsens and food insecurity looms, farmers are calling for immediate government intervention—repairs, subsidies, and the construction of new infrastructure. Without such action, Madhes could face a severe agricultural collapse in the coming months.

A disturbing rise in spousal murders in Karnali Province has sparked serious concerns over women’s safety in the region. The most recent incident occurred last Sunday in Karekhola, Birendranagar Municipality-13, Surkhet, where 42-year-old retired Nepali Army officer Dansingh Thada allegedly killed his wife, Rabina Thapa, 41, while she was asleep. According to police, he attacked her with a wooden stick, striking multiple parts of her body. Thada has since been arrested and remains in custody as investigations continue.

This case is part of a grim pattern of violence against women in Karnali. On July 1, Chandra Bahadur Budhathoki, 32, from Chaurjahari Municipality-3 in Rukum Paschim, allegedly killed his 30-year-old wife, Devika Budhathoki, using a khukuri. In April, the region was rocked by another murder when Nepali Army personnel Darshan Khatri, 28, stoned his 26-year-old wife, Prema Oli, to death near the Jhingenara River in Surkhet. Similarly, on July 25, 33-year-old Prakash Sunar is accused of murdering 19-year-old Nirmala Thapa of Dailekh, who was working in a restaurant in Nepalgunj.

Data from the Karnali Provincial Police Office reveal that 24 women have been murdered by their husbands in the past three fiscal years across the province’s 10 districts. Human rights organizations have sounded the alarm, attributing these repeated femicides to entrenched patriarchal norms and institutional failure.

“This level of violence shows how unsafe women are inside their own homes,” said Manju Sunar, president of the Dalit Women’s Association in Surkhet. “Even with women-friendly laws in place, women are still being murdered and abused simply because they are women. Our society still struggles to see women as equal human beings.”

The recent killings have provoked widespread public outrage and mobilized protests across Karnali. On Tuesday, human rights defenders and civil society groups staged a demonstration in Birendranagar and submitted a memorandum to the Chief District Officer, the Chief of Police, and Birendranagar Municipality.

Pavitra Giri, director of the Voice Organization in Surkhet, said the protest was a response to the growing number of femicides. “We strongly condemn this brutality and urge the government to act immediately. Women deserve to live in safety and dignity, free from violence and fear,” she said.

Rights groups have presented a 14-point demand to federal, provincial, and local governments, calling for immediate action. Their key demands include impartial investigation and prosecution in all femicide cases, creation of a dedicated women’s security mechanism, mental health support systems, a provincial-level toll-free helpline, rescue and rehabilitation programs, and the establishment of helpdesks in every ward. They also urge the development of personal safety and social security initiatives for at-risk women, and greater coordination among government bodies, the National Women’s Commission, the National Human Rights Commission, and civil society to formulate a long-term strategy for women’s safety.

Activists stress that statements of condemnation are no longer enough. “We need the law to work, and we need institutions to step up. This is about life and death,” Giri emphasized. As public pressure mounts, all eyes are now on the Karnali provincial government and law enforcement agencies to deliver justice and prevent further tragedy.