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Vehicular movement along the Melamchi-Helambu road section in Sindhupalchowk has been obstructed due to the flood triggered by incessant rainfall in Melamchi river.

The flood in Melamchi river has blocked road section.

Efforts of Helambu Rural Municipality to clear the obstruction could not yield result due to continuous rainfall.

Local resident Shyam Chalise said that the flood has blocked the road at Simkhet in Melamchi as well.

The municipality has said that the workers are facing hardships to resume the road after the continuous rain.

Likewise, the flood has washed away the toilets of Saraswoti Secondary School at Helambu-4 and the classrooms are at high risk of flooding, Apsari Lamichhane, Vice-Chairperson of Helambu Rural Municipality said.

Currently, the school is working to shift the academic materials and furniture.

According to Lamichhane, the school and Galthyum bazaar are also at risk of flooding.

Police have arrested a Filipino with undeclared money that he was attempting to take abroad illegally from Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).

DSP and Nepal Police spokesperson Kuber Kadayat said that the arrestee has been identified as Arsino JR Mesa (32).

Police said that they have recovered USD 3,000 and Rs 850,000 from the Filipino’s possession.

Arsino was apprehended when he was about to board a flight to Dubai.

Kadayat said that the Filipino has been sent to Revenue Investigation Department (RID) for investigation.

Flights have been affected in Karnali for the past two days due to bad weather. The flights have been disrupted as it has been raining continuously.

Flights could not take place to and from Juphal airport in Dolpa, Simkot airport in Humla and Talcha airport in Mugu due to the incessant rainfall.

Rajendra Thakulla, an engineer with the Thulibheri Municipality, Dolpa, said he is stranded in Nepalgunj due to the disruption of flight. "It has been two days waiting for the flight to operate. I have not been able to fly to Dolpa due to the bad weather. There is also the problem of travelling by road," he lamented.

Most of the people in these remote mountainous districts of the Karnali Province rely on flights as most of the roads are damaged due to floods and landslides during the monsoon. They are affected as the flights also could not operate due to unfavorable weather.

Although Dolpa is linked by roadway, there is still the problem of travelling by road in the rainy season. Road travel has become risky as the water level in rivers and streams has increased.

Humla is not yet linked by road.

Media Alliance Nepal has expressed serious concern over the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal’s move of seeking clarification vis-a-vis the news published in Annapurna Post daily under the Annapurna Media Network (AMN) over air service disruptions in far-flung regions of the country.

Issuing a press statement, the alliance said the clarification CAAN has sought from AMN Chair Capt Rameshwor Thapa on the charge of ‘abusing publication rights’ is a direct violation of the freedom of the press and the freedom of thought and expression as well as a violation of editorial freedom.

Unconstitutional interference with independent media is unacceptable, it said, condemning CAAN and its leader’s illegal action against the media advocating for the rule of law and the Constitution.

There is a separate legal provision to seek redress for the media content published/broadcasted, it pointed out. An unrelated agency is demanding clarification over a matter beyond its jurisdiction from an unrelated individual, it said, adding, “This is a case of abuse of authority.”

The Media Alliance cautioned CAAN leadership against the abuse of authority and urged it to withdraw the clarification and respect the freedom of the press and freedom of thought and expression enshrined in the Constitution. Earlier, the Press Council Nepal wrote to the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation over CAAN’s act of seeking a written clarification from AMN regarding news reports published in the daily.

CAAN introduced a policy to suspend air services in remote districts after 12 pm starting July 31. This decision affected remote and mountainous regions of Nepal where flights offer a lifeline for people needing urgent medical attention.  
Regrettably, due to the absence of air services, four children lost their lives in remote regions of Karnali province as they couldn’t receive timely medical care due to CAAN’s new policy.

After Annapurna Post, a sister publication of ApEx, highlighted the hardships facing people living in far-flung areas, the issue garnered considerable attention.

Despite appeals from the Chief Minister of Karnali province, the federal Minister for Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation, political leaders and local representatives, CAAN chose not to lift air service restrictions. Instead, it targeted the media for exposing what was perceived as a misguided and callous decision.