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The country has witnessed the influence of monsoon winds and partial effects of the low-pressure system formed in southwest Bangladesh and the adjoining areas, according to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.

Currently, the weather is partly to generally cloudy in Koshi and Bagmati Provinces while it is partly cloudy in the rest of the country. Likewise, light to moderate rainfall with thunder and lightning is taking place in some places in Koshi and Bagmati Provinces.

Similarly, the weather will remain partly to generally cloudy in Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and partly cloudy in the remaining provinces in the afternoon.

Light to moderate rain with thunder and lightning is likely to occur at a few places in Koshi, Madhes, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and at a few places in other provinces.

Likewise, heavy rain is predicted at one or two places in Koshi Province.

According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division, the weather will be partly to generally cloudy in Koshi, Bagmati and Gandaki Provinces and one or two places of other provinces are likely to receive light to moderate rain along with thunder tonight.

Likewise, there is a chance of storms in some parts of Tarai belt in Koshi province.

The Department has urged people to remain alert to avoid the risk of floods, landslides and inundation in view of possible heavy rainfall at one or two places in Koshi Province.

The festive season is here but it’s been a sobering week for the country. Floods and landslides, triggered by heavy rainfall early this week, caused unprecedented damage to lives and properties across Nepal. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, 242 people lost their lives and dozens are still missing. A preliminary government assessment estimates that the disaster caused damages worth over Rs 6bn in damages to the agricultural sector, with paddy crops suffering the most, accounting for Rs 3.5bn in losses.

Floods and landslides affected 58,476 hectares of paddy fields across districts such as Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa, Nawalparasi East, Baglung, Khotang, Jhapa, Kailali, Lamjung, Parbat, Kaski, Syangja, Makwanpur, Kavre and Sindhuli. The actual extent of the damage may be even higher, as many affected areas remain inaccessible. 

Natural disasters are unpredictable and occur worldwide, but last week’s events in Nepal offer important lessons for the government. A single agency must take a more proactive and prepared approach to minimize the damage. Additionally, the government needs to take environmental concerns seriously, as unchecked development at the local level and excessive exploitation of natural resources are contributing to increased landslides and floods. 

The government’s response after the disaster was also slow, with delays in rescuing trapped people and providing immediate relief. Although the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority was established a few years ago to handle such crises, it has come under public scrutiny for its poor management. Prime Minister Oli admitted that the country was unprepared for disasters of this scale. There is still a lack of coordination and communication among state agencies and the three levels of government.

Erratic rainfall patterns, exacerbated by climate change, are expected to bring more floods and rainfall in the future, and the government must enhance its preparations. Key security forces, such as the Nepali Army and the Armed Police Force, need better equipment and training to respond effectively to natural disasters. Unfortunately, history shows that we tend to forget these disasters quickly and fail to prepare adequately. The Melamchi flood of 2021 should have been a wake-up call, yet little has been done since then. Amid this crisis, the Dashain festival, the largest and longest in the Hindu calendar, has begun. Many are hopeful that the government will expedite the repair of major highways to ensure smoother travel during the festivities. 

In other news this week, Prime Minister Oli recently returned from an extended visit to New York, where he addressed several United Nations programs and held bilateral talks with leaders from other countries. While in New York, Foreign Minister Arzu Rana Deuba met with senior US officials to discuss bilateral relations. Nepal and the US have established a Bilateral Consultation Mechanism to discuss key issues annually. However, Prime Minister Oli faced criticism for being abroad while the country was in the midst of a crisis caused by floods and landslides. In contrast, opposition leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal of the CPN (Maoist Center) stepped into the spotlight, calling an all-party meeting to discuss the disaster and visiting flood-affected areas. 

Prakash Man Singh Rawat is set to become Nepal’s next Chief Justice after being endorsed by the Parliamentary Hearing Committee, as current Chief Justice Bishowambhar Prasad Shrestha retires this week. Meanwhile, the Chairman of the Nepal Bar Association, Gopal Krishna Ghimire, is facing contempt of court charges in the Supreme Court over comments related to judicial appointments. 

This week, the Supreme Court also sentenced the publisher Yubaraj Kandel and executive editor Nabin Dhungana of the online portal Sidhakura.com to three months in prison for contempt of court. On April 26, the news portal had published a fake news report, claiming that the leadership of Annapurna Media Network and Kantipur Publications were part of a secret meeting involving sitting and former Supreme Court justices and senior lawyers to dismiss more than 400 corruption cases. 

On the economic front, there was some good news this week. The World Bank projects that Nepal’s economic growth will accelerate to 5.1 percent in 2025, up from 3.9 percent in 2024, driven by a recovery in tourism, increased hydropower production and improved paddy yields. The World Bank projects 5.5 percent growth for Nepal by the fiscal year 2026. The International Monetary Fund also issued a positive outlook for Nepal’s economy last week. The private sector is expected to benefit from the central bank’s more relaxed monetary policies and eased regulations. 

However, there are significant risks to this outlook. The financial sector faces vulnerabilities, including a rise in non-performing loans, which could limit credit growth for the private sector. Delays in capital spending could slow infrastructure development, and regional instability and trade disruptions could hurt tourism and domestic demand. Additionally, recent natural disasters may impede Nepal’s economic recovery.

That’s all for this week. Stay safe

The government has reported that the floods and landslides triggered by heaving rainfall last week caused damages worth more than Rs 17bn.

According to the preliminary damage assessment report prepared by the government, the disaster incidents caused damage of more than Rs 6bn to the agriculture sector alone. The report states that paddy crops alone suffered damages worth Rs 3.5bn. Floods and landslides affected paddy crops on 58,476 hectares in Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara, Parsa, Nawalparasi East, Baglung, Khotang, Jhapa, Kailali, Lamjung, Parvat, Kaski, Syangja, Makwanpur, Kavre and Sindhuli.

Likewise, floodwaters caused damages worth Rs 1.13bn to fisheries on 458 hectares in Dhanusha, Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, Bara and Parsa. Similarly, sugarcane crops on 85 hectares worth Rs 340m were destroyed by the floods. Additionally, 24 animal sheds were damaged in Panchthar, Dhankuta, and Terhathum, while floods and landslides claimed a total of 26,205 livestock in Panchthar, Ilam, Sunsari, Dhankuta, Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga, Ramechhap, Dolakha, Lalitpur and all districts of Madhes.

According to the report, floods and landslides destroyed orchards on 22 hectares in Kaski, Nawalparasi East, Kanchanpur and Rautahat, as well as vegetables on 4,743 hectares in Khotang, Makwanpur, Chitwan, Saptari, Siraha, Dhanusha, Bara and Parsa. Office infrastructure sustained damages amounting to Rs 160m across various districts, according to the agriculture ministry.

Likewise, there have been significant damages to energy, drinking water, road and irrigation infrastructure. The energy sector has suffered damages worth around Rs 4bn. As many as 16 hydropower projects with an installed capacity of 667.93 MW suffered damages due to floods and landslides, while 18 under-construction projects with total capacity of 1139.19 MW suffered damages. Projects like Upper Tamakoshi (456 MW), Mandu Hydropower (22 MW), two projects on Hewa Khola with combined capacity of 36.9 MW and Solu Dudhkoshi (86 MW), among others, suffered significant damages. Similarly, five major transmission towers have suffered damages.

Likewise, state-owned Nepal Telecom has reported damage at 312 sites. 

“Although the agricultural sector is estimated to have suffered the most damage, the details of the damage to agricultural crops will be prepared within one month,” said Chief Secretary Ek Narayan Aryal. “A total of 21 districts have been affected by floods and landslides. Of them, Kavre, Lalitpur, Dhading, Kathmandu, Sindhupalchok, Sindhuli and Makwanpur have been affected the most.”

Aryal said that temporary housing will be arranged for people displaced by disaster incidents. 

According to him, families, who have lost their homes in the disaster, will be immediately identified as beneficiaries and grant amounts will be distributed for temporary housing construction. The families will be provided with Rs 25,000 each as the first installment of housing grant, according to Aryal.

“Obstructed strategic roads across the country will be reopened with increased urgency. We will install Bailey bridges on important roads where bridges have been washed away by floods and landslides,” he added.

Floods and landslides triggered by heavy rainfall last weekend have claimed 224 lives, while 24 are missing and 158 people have been injured.

Hearing on writ petition of habeas corpus would be conducted for four hours from 11 am during Dashain festival holidays as well.

The Supreme Court would remain open for hearing on the writ petitions on Dashain holidays except the day of Ghatasthapana (October 3), Saturday and the day of Vijaya Dashami. 

Though the Supreme Court remains closed from Ghatasthapana to Kojagrat Purnima on the occasion of Dashain festival, only hearing on habeas corpus cases would be conducted.