Two die in flooding in Sarlahi after torrential rain

The incessant rain-triggered flooding took the lives of two people in Sarlahi.

As many as 72 people who were swept away by the flood-fed rivulet were rescued on Tuesday evening.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Naresh Raj Subedi said that Bhola Chaudhary (60) of Haripurba Municipality-7, who was swept away by the swollen Banke rivulet of Sarlahi, was found dead.

Chaudhary went missing in the flooded rivulet since Monday evening. His body was found in the Banke rivulet on Tuesday.

Likewise, Sahid Rain Bhat (65) of Gadhimai Municipality-2, Samanpur also died after being swept away by the Bagmati river.

He was rescued and rushed to the hospital but doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

The Bagmati river flooding also washed away the road section in Samanpur towards Sarlahi.

Meanwhile, security personnel rescued the people who were stuck in the Bagmati river flood.

Chief District Officer of Sarlahi, Indradev Yadav said 70 among the flood survivors were rescued by a team of Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepal Army.

Floods, landslides affect daily life (With Photos)

Heavy rainfall since Monday has triggered a series of floods and landslides in different parts of the country. 

Many streams and rivers surpassed their critical thresholds, breaching their banks and submerging nearby settlements, while there were also reports of highway landslides disrupting the vehicular movement. 

The Weather Forecasting Division attributed the heavy rainfall to the monsoon wind patterns and a low-pressure system near Bihar, India. Authorities have issued alert warnings for those settlements situated close to streams and rivers.  

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Several riverside settlements in Kathmandu Valley were submerged as a result of overnight downpour. People were seen salvaging their goods and draining out flood waters from their homes on Tuesday morning.  

A landslide on the Kali river obstructed the crucial Narayangadh-Muglin highway in Ichhakamana Rural Municipality-6, Chitwan. The two-way traffic movement along the highway was halted due to the landslide, stranding hundreds of vehicles and passengers. However, traffic in both directions resumed later.

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A section of Prithvi Highway, between Damauli and Dumre in Tanahun, also collapsed as a result of incessant rainfall. Floods and landslides have also significantly impacted other major highways, including the Banepa-Sindhuli-Bardibas section of BP Highway, the Hetauda-Sindhuli-Gaighat-Chatara segment of Madan Bhandari Highway, and the Khurkot-Ghurmi stretch of Pushpa Lal Highway.

In another incident, a landslide struck a house at Sigre of Bagmati Rural Municipality-5 in Makwanpur, in which one person was killed and six others, including three children, were unaccounted for.The deceased was identified as 55-year-old Shanta Maya Syangtan. At the time of writing, a team deployed by the District Police Office, Makwanpur, was still searching for the missing people.

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Also, a person from Dhanusha and another individual from Rautahat lost their lives due to drowning in the swollen river.

In Shuklaphanta Municipality-7, Kanchanpur, security personnel rescued two women who were stranded in the floodwaters of the Kalapani stream. The two women were tending to their cattle when they were caught in a flash flood caused by the torrential rainfall upstream.  

The rainfall overnight has also caused significant damage to crops in different parts of the country. 

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The flooded Doda stream wreaked havoc on paddy and sugarcane fields in Tilaki of Kanchanpur district. As many as 24 farmers lost their valuable crops.

In Kailali, the rain-swollen Godawari stream damaged temples and shrines in the Godawaridham area. A quick response from security personnel and local youths prevented potential casualties by rescuing those who were trapped in the flood waters. As the flood receded, there was debris scattered everywhere.

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Around 40 people have died and nearly as many are missing in monsoon-related disasters this year, according to officials at the Home Ministry. According to the Nepal Disaster Risk Reduction Portal of Nepal government, over 4,000 families have been affected by floods and landslides in the past one year, killing 101 people. Sixty-four people are still missing.

Monsoon in Nepal typically starts in mid-June and ends in September. Casualties, highway obstructions and property damage are common occurrences during this period. 

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has directed the security agencies  to remain on high alert to respond to potential monsoon-related disasters.

International Day of World's Indigenous Peoples being observed today

The International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is being observed today by organizing several programs.

The day is being marked across the country today by organizing diverse activities with this year's slogan 'Indigenous Youth as Agents of Change for Self Determination'.

According to the National Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN), special emphasis has been laid on youth's activism and empowerment this year.

On the occasion, the Indigenous Commission organized a program at Baneswor today.

Likewise, NEFIN has also hosted a program in the Nepal Academy this afternoon.

In order to raise awareness of the needs of the indigenous population, every August 9 commemorates the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, chosen in recognition of the first meeting of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations held in Geneva in 1982.

On December 23, 1994, the United Nations General Assembly decided, in its resolution 49/214, that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous People shall be observed on August 9 every year.

The UN had observed the period (1994-2004) as an indigenous decade with the slogan 'the decade for action and dignity'.

Also on the occasion, Federation of Nepalese Indigenous Journalists (FONIJ) hosted a program in Kathmandu today.

Road connecting Bardiya National Park caves in

The Orali-Dalla road section that connects tourist destination Bardiya National Park of Bardiya has caved in due to the incessant downpour for the past few days, affecting the vehicular movement.

Local and Khata Coordination Committee, Bardiya Chairman Hari Gurung said that they have been facing problems after the short-distance road collapsed owing to torrential rainfall.

“The road has caved-in. Only a bike can pass through the road with difficulty,” he said.

Saying that the road connected with the bridge in Madhuvan Municipality-2 caves in every year when it rains, Gurung demanded that the road be repaired properly.