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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

Ten more bodies have been recovered from a micro bus buried in a landslide at Jhayple Khola in Dhunbesi Municipality-9, Dhading.

It has been learnt that the bus was heading towards Kathmandu from Chitwan.

With this, the number of bodies recovered from Jhyaple Khola has reached 13 on Sunday alone.

Information Officer at the District Police Office Dhading Prahlad Silwal informed that the bodies of eight men and two women have been found since this morning.

Fourteen bodies were recovered on Saturday.

Five persons died when a landslide swept away two houses in Solukhumbu district.

The District Police Office, Solukhumbu informed that five persons died when a landslide washed away two houses at Solududhkunda Municipality 9 and 10 of the district.

According to DSP Dwarika Prasad Ghimire, the deceased have been identified as Lhamu Sherpa (23), wife of Tsering Sherpa, of Solududhkunda Municipality-2, her seven-month-old son Phurba Lopsang Sherpa and Rina Tamang (29) of the same ward.

Similarly, Kabita Magar (33) of Chailung, Solududhkunda Municipality-10 and Rupu Magar (24) of the same municipality, DSP Ghimire said.

Kabita and Rupu died when a landslide triggered by incessant rainfall washed away the house of Tek Bahadur Magar of Chailung at around 12:30 pm on Saturday.

Tshering, Phurba and Rina died when a landslide swept away the house of Dima Dawa Sherpa of Chewar.

DSP Ghimire informed that Yanji Sherpa (66) sustained deep injuries on her head in the same incident.

She is undergoing treatment at the Wangchu Memorial Hospital in Tapting, Solududhkunda Municipality-10.

The District Police Office informed that the bodies have been kept at the same hospital.

Vehicular movement along the Kanti Highway has been obstructed following a landslide triggered by incessant rainfall last night.

The landslide occurred at Ghattepakha of Bakaiya Rural Municipality-12 of Makawanpur, according to the District Police Office, Makwanpur.

Meanwhile, efforts are being made to remove the landslide debris and bring the highway back into operation in coordination with the Department of Roads, police said.

A couple went missing after a landslide buried their house at Dhuma in Barekot Rural Municipality-6, Jajarkot on Sunday.

Prem Kumari, a ward member of the rural municipality, and her husband Man Bahadur Chalune were buried in the landslide at around 2 am today.

Their 11-year-old daughter was rescued in an injured condition.

She has been taken to a local hospital in Limsa.

Police with the help of locals are searching for the missing couple, it has been learnt.

Vehicular movement along the Karnali Highway has been obstructed due to landslides triggered by incessant rainfall.

The landslides occurred at Ismod and Gaganekhola in Shubhkalika Rural Municipality-1, Kalikot.

Efforts are being made to remove the debris and resume traffic, said information officer of the Road Division Office, Bir Bahadur GT.

The highway has been blocked several times this monsoon due to landslides in Gaganekhola.

Meanwhile, passengers traveling from Jumla, Kalikot and Mugu to Surkhet, Nepalgunj and Kathmandu remain stranded mid-way.

Vehicular movement has come to a grinding halt in the Karnali Highway due to a landslide triggered by incessant rainfall.

Public Information Officer at the Road Division Office Jumla Bir Bahadur GT said that the highway has been obstructed following a landslide at Gagnekhola of Kalikot along the Surkhet-Jumla road.

He said efforts are underway to clear the landslide debris.

Landslides have frequently occurred at Dahikhola, Gagnekhola, Esmod and Hulm along the Kalikot section of the Karnali Highway.

The death toll from the landslide at Doramba Shailung Rural Municipality-3 in Ramechhap district has climbed to eight.

Of the 11 people that were missing after a landslide swept away four houses on August 25, the eight bodies have been recovered so far, according to District Police Office, Chief Pradeep Kumar Singh.

Two bodies were found recently, taking the death toll to eight, police said.

Efforts are underway to search for two missing people Kale Pahari (55) and Jhyaipuri Pahari (50) of the same ward.

The bodies of Chandika Shrestha (30) her 18-month-old son Ayush Shrestha, Urmila Pahari (57) Sandip Pahari (30) Santosh Pahari, Bigyan Pahari (14) had been handed over to their respective families on Sunday after conducting postmortem, informed Kaushal Neupane,  Information Officer at the District Police Office, Ramechhap.

Two persons died in a landslide at Tokarpur Lekhkharka in Doramba Sailung Rural Municipality-3 of Ramechhap district.

Inspector Kailash Neupane, Information Officer at the District Police Office, Ramechhap, informed that two persons died after the landslide triggered by incessant rainfall swept away two houses in the district on Saturday.

“The bodies of two persons have been found. Their identities are yet to be ascertained. A person was rescued with injuries. Efforts are underway to search for others,” he said.

According to locals, eight to 10 persons are missing in the landslide.

The mudslide washed away four houses and a bridge in Doramba Rural Municipality.

Tokarpur residents have been left panic stricken following the landslide.

Locals of 1, 2 and 3 have been affected after the landslide that occurred last night.

More details are awaited.

Four Nepali laborers were killed after they got buried under debris following a landslide in Rudraprayag district’s Fata area, officials said, Hindustan Times reported.

Rudraprayag district disaster management officer Nandan Singh Rajwar said that they received information at 1.37am in the night that four people were buried under the debris following a landslide near Fata helipad.

“On receiving information, the SDRF team immediately left for the spot. Due to the blockage on the Doliya Devi Marg, the SDRF team reached the spot by walking two kilometres”, he said.

The SDRF team could not take the JCB machine to the site of the incident as heavy rainfall made the road inaccessible for heavy vehicles.

“SDRF personnel started the rescue operation by manually digging. They pulled out four bodies from the debris and handed them over to the district police,” he said.

The deceased have been identified as Tul Bahadur, Purna Nepali, Kishna Parihar and Chiku Bura — all residents of Nepal.

Vehicular movement along the Galchhi-Rasuwagadhi road section has been obstructed due to a landslide with boulders.

According to District Traffic Office, Chief Jejung Karki, the dedicated double lane road has been completely obstructed due to a landslide with boulders near Belkotgadhi Municipality-8, Borokhola in Nuwakot.

The road from Devighat to Galchhi via Mahadevphant has been completely blocked.

There is no alternative road around the same route, which has troubled transport vehicles to move.

Police have urged the vehicles heading to Kerung via Trishuli of Nuwakot and Rasuwagadhi from Galchhi, Dhading to reach Kathmandu from Galchi and use the Tokha-Chhahare road.

Chief of Galchhi-Rasuwagadhi Road Project Office, Dhurba Kumar Shrestha said that it would take time to operate the road as a 'breaker' has to be installed to remove the boulders that occurred along with the landslide on Wednesday night.

Human resources with heavy equipment have been mobilized since this morning to clear the landslide debris.

Three members of a family were killed in a landslide at Majhgaun in Nalgad Municipality-2 of Jajarkot on Monday.  

The deceased have been identified as Lal Bahadur Pariyar (42), Manisa Pariyar (34) and their two-year-old son Shivam Pariyar of Nalgad-2.

Nalgad Municipality Mayor Dambar Rawat said that they were staying in a temporary shelter constructed for the earthquake victims.

A police team led by Inspector Madhav Prasad Chaudhary of the Area Police Office Dalli has reached the incident site, said Mayor Rawat.

Four persons died when a landslide buried a house at Tumeda in Bungal Municipality-10, Bajhang in the wee hours of Monday.

Kali Dhami, Golki Dhami, Ashika Dhami and Laxmi Dhami lost their lives after a landslide buried their house at around 1 am today, according to police.

The District Police Office, Bajhang informed that the locals and a team of Jhapa Police Post retrieved the bodies of all of them at 7: 20 am.

The house was completely damaged in the incident.

There were nine people in the house when the incident took place.

Bira Dhami, Ujjwal Dhami, Roshan Dhami, Kamala Dhami and Shanti Dhami were rescued with the locals immediately after the incident.

The Narayangadh-Butwal road section along the East-West Highway has been obstructed.

Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East) road has been obstructed again following a landslide at Daunne in Binayi Triveni Rural Municipality-2.

Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Bardaghat-Susta East, Bed Bahadur Poudel said the road that came into partial operation since Tuesday evening has been disrupted following torrential rain last night.

Efforts are underway to operate the road, he added.

Vehicular movement along the Mugling-Malekhu road section has been obstructed due to a landslide on Wednesday.

Nirala Bhandari, Police Inspector at the Area Police Office Muglin, said the road has been obstructed due to a landslide at Nagdikhola in Ichchhakamana-4 of Chitwan along the Prithvi Highway this morning.

Inspector Bhandari said efforts are underway to clear the landslide debris.

He said that it would take some time to clear the debris as there is a huge landslide on the road.

The death toll in Baglung landslides has reached seven while four were rescued alive.

Two persons died when a landslide buried a house at Badigad Rural Municipality-9 this morning and the landslide at Badigad Rural Municipality-10 killed five persons, police said. 

The landslide at Badigad-10 buried the house of Joglal Budha of Aarupata.

According to Assistant Chief District Officer, Chitrangat Baral, four have been rescued alive from the landslide debris and two are said to be injured severely.