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Search for those missing in a landslide at Mehele in Sidingba Rural municipality-6 of Taplejung on June 18 is underway. Locals and police personnel have been carrying out a search operation for the missing ones. The landslide that occurred on Saturday swept away four persons including three members of a single family. Of them, one was found dead on Sunday morning while three members of a single family—Bhagimaya Budha Chhetri (63), her daughter-in-law Sandhya (30) and grandson Prajjwal, (9), are still missing, according to spokesperson at the District Police office, Taplejung, Kushum Ram Karki. According to the District Police Office, Keshar Bahadur Rai (67) of Mehele and his son were found dead in a landslide on Sunday morning. Similarly, injured Raj Kumar Rai (45) has been airlifted to Neuro Hospital, Biratnagar, on a chopper of Nepali Army this morning for further treatment from Panchthar District Hospital, according to the District Disaster Management Committee.  

An earthquake measuring 4.0 on the Richter scale jolted Darchula district on Tuesday. The earthquake with its epicenter at Khandeshowri in the district was recorded at 4:55 am today, according to the National Seismological Centre, Lainchour. Earlier on June 12, the earthquake measuring 4.4 on the Richter scale was also recorded in Bajura district.

Food insecurity and undernourishment are deepening lately in South Asia including Nepal, according to the Global Food Policy Report-2023 prepared by the International Food Policy Research Institute. Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of Nepal Narayan Kaji Shrestha unveiled the report amid a function here today. According to the report, in Afghanistan, the highest 30 percent people suffer from undernourishment between 2019 and 2021 followed by 17 percent in Pakistan, 16 percent in India, 12 percent in Bangladesh, six percent in Nepal, and four percent in Sri Lanka. Likewise, during the same period, Afghanistan recorded highest around 23 percent of severe food insecurity, Nepal around 13 percent, Bangladesh approximately 11 percent, Pakistan around eight percent and Sri Lanka approximately two percent. During 2017 to 2019, Nepal witnessed slightly more than 10 percent of severe food insecurity. Similarly, the deterioration in economic conditions that took place with the pandemic led to a substantial increase in poverty, with 48-59 million people estimated to be newly poor in 2021, particularly in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. COVID-19 pandemic, Russia-Ukraine War, implications of various natural disasters, energy crisis, global rise in prices of food, petroleum products and fertilizer and political instability have been mentioned as contributors to increasing food insecurity in the entire South Asia. "The recovery and development of food systems in South Asia face multiple challenges. Although spillover effects from the Russia-Ukraine war have not been large, South Asia has been affected by the global rise in food, fuel, and fertilizer prices. Food prices have risen sharply, contributing to food insecurity. In September 2022, the year-on-year consumer inflation rate for food was 66 percent in Sri Lanka, 36 percent in Pakistan, and about 8 percent in India, Bangladesh, and Nepal," the report states. In 2022, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India and Pakistan had banned the exports of foodstuffs mainly rice, wheat and sugar due to high inflation and food shortage. According to the report, the inflation in Pakistan and Sri Lanka is attributed mainly to macroeconomic instability and mismanagement, especially the sharp devaluation of their currencies, and the fertilizer ban in Sri Lanka. The report identifies climate change as one of the reasons behind falling agricultural production in many countries. "Threats from climate change loom especially large for many countries, especially those in Africa. Climate change is rapidly intensifying, increasing pressure on food systems, rural livelihoods, and ecosystems more broadly. While some places may benefit from a longer growing season amid rising temperatures, changing weather patterns and advancing desertification have reduced the average growth in agricultural productivity by as much as 21 percent since 1961." Disruption in the food supplies chain and unmanaged migrations are noted as also the reasons for increasing food insecurity. The document emphasizes better prediction, preparation, and resilience building to make future crises less devastating.  

The Infrastructure Development Committee under the House of Representatives directed the government to collect detailed information about the people affected by floods and landslides and ensure that relief and compensation reach the affected families. A meeting of the Committee today expressed sorrow over the loss of valuable lives in the recent incidents of natural disasters that occurred in various parts of the country. The meeting has instructed the Ministry of Home Affairs to undertake prompt rescue operations for the injured, and to address the immediate requirements of food and shelter for the affected people. The meeting headed by Committee President Laalbir Chaudhary directed the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport to immediately repair the damaged structures meant for people's movement and transport such as roads and bridges. It is worth noting that Taplejung, Panchthar, Sankhuwasabha, and Tehrathum districts in the Koshi Province have been severely affected by recent floods and landslides, resulting in both human and physical losses. The committee's directive came on the same backdrop.