Submit your Article

Precipitation has started this morning in the western region of the country. 

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said rainfall began in the western parts of the country due to the influence of the Westerly low-pressure system, which is gradually moving eastwards.

Department's Information Officer Dinakar Kayastha said that it has been raining since early this morning in areas including Dadeldhura, Doti, Achham, Bajura, Bajhang, Gulmi, Kaski, Tanahu, Palpa, Arghakhanchi, and Manang in western Nepal, and that the rainfall-inducing system has now reached Chitwan.

The Meteorological Forecasting Division has also stated that the rainfall, which started from the west, is moving towards the east.

Kayastha stated that Gulmi received 17 millimeters of rain while Tanahun 11 millimeters in the last one hour, and it is still raining.

Currently, Nepal is under the influence of the Westerly low-pressure system,  information officer Kayastha said, adding that at present, Madhes, Bagmati, Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces have generally cloudy weather, while Koshi and Gandaki Provinces are partly cloudy.

The Department stated that fog has occurred in some areas of the Tarai and the Kathmandu Valley.

The weather bulletin issued today by the Department stated that generally cloudy conditions are expected in the hilly and mountainous areas of Gandaki, Lumbini, Karnali, Sudurpaschim Provinces as well as in Koshi and Bagmati provinces, while partly cloudy conditions are expected in the remaining areas.

Information officer Kayastha said that in some mountainous areas of the country, there is a possibility of moderate rainfall with thunder and lightning, along with snowfall in a few areas.

He added that there is a possibility of moderate rain with thunder and lightning in some hilly areas of Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Prior, in a few hilly areas of Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces, as well as in one or two places in the Tarai region of Lumbini and Sudurpaschim Provinces.

According to him, cloudy conditions will continue for a few more days.

Seven Indian nationals died and seven others were injured when an electric microbus met with an accident at Kantar in Shahid Lakhan Rural Municipality-3, Gorkha on Saturday.

According to District Police Office Chief Bharat Bahadur BK, among them, Muthu Kumar (58),  Anamalik (58), Meenakshi (59), Sivagami (53), Vijayal (57), Meena (58), and Tamilarsi (60), died on the spot.

The incident occurred when the microbus carrying 16 devotees returning from Manakamana fell some 200 meters down the road. 

The injured have been identified as 62-year-old Soranam, 65-year-old Mangada Jalam, 75-year-old Subhadra, 65-year-old Mayal, 73-year-old Saroja, 75-year-old Bhagyalakshmi and 34-year-old Meenakshi.

They are undergoing treatment at the Old Medical College in Chitwan

The driver of the microbus, 46-year-old Pushpa Malla Thakuri of Besisahar Municipality-1, Lamjung is safe while his assistant 29-year-old Santosh Gurung of Besisahar Municipality-3, is injured. 

Police said that further investigation into the incident is underway. 

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.