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The Beni-Jomsom road linking Mustang district with national highway and Beni-Darbang road connecting three local levels of Myagdi district with its district headquarters have been disrupted since this morning due to landslides in various places.

Vehicular movement along the Beni-Jomson road has come to a grinding halt following a landslide at Majhkharja in Raghuganga Rural Municipality-2, Sukebahar IN Annapurna Rural Municipality-3 and at Mahabhir, according to the District Traffic Police Office, Myagdi.

Chief of the District Traffic Police Office, Bishal Darji, shared that the Beni-Darbang road has been obstructed due to landslides at Beni Municipality-4 and Phaparkhet in Mangala Rural Municipality-2.

Locals have been facing problems due to obstruction of vehicular movement following the landslides.

Efforts are underway to clear the landslide debris, police said.

As many as 600 containers carrying vegetables and fruits have been stuck across the Nepal-China Friendship (Miteri) Bridge due to landslide-triggered disruption along the Kodari Highway. 

It has been 12 days since landslide debris blocked the way at Iku in Bhotekoshi Rural Municipality-2, Chairperson of Nepal Truck Container Transportation Service Arjun Sapkota. 

The landslide covered almost two-kilometer area. He said that efforts are underway to pass the container goods by mobilizing porters. 

He lambasted the government's sluggish efforts for debris removal. 

Meanwhile, Chief of the Charikot-based Road Division Office Amit Kumar Shrestha said incessant flow of mud has caused road disruption while expressing the commitment to open the road after clearing debris.

The Ridi-Tamghas road section of the Madan Bhandari Highway has been completely obstructed due to a landslide at Bakhre cliff in Rurukshetra Rural Municipality-3 of Gulmi district this morning following a continuous rainfall. 

The landslide, which brought down large rocks, has completely blocked vehicular movement, according to the District Police Office, Gulmi.

Vehicular movement on both sides has come to a standstill, leaving passengers and vehicles stranded. Efforts to clear the landslide depositions have been initiated, said Ganga Bahadur Saru, the Information Officer at the District Police Office. 

He added that the debris will be cleared immediately after the rain stops.  

Likewise, DSP Saru urged the general public and riders to use the alternative route until the debris is cleared. 

Vehicular movement along the Kaligandaki Corridor has been obstructed due to a landslide in Baglung.

Police Inspector Keshav Thapa said that the road was obstructed from 9 am today.

Heavy rainfall occurring in the area has caused difficulties to clear the debris and resume the traffic, Inspector Thapa said.

The Jayprithvi Highway has been obstructed due to a landslide triggered by the incessant rainfall.

The debris deposited on the road disrupted vehicular movement since early this morning.

Spokesperson at the District Police Office, Balram Pandeya, informed that the Highway was blocked due to the landslide at Ramilapur of Sigas Rural Municipality-9.

The passengers have been stranded following the traffic disruption.

However, efforts are on to remove the debris for reopening the busy highway in Sudurpaschim Province, the police added.

The Kagbeni-Korala road, under the national pride project, Jomsom-Korala road, which connects the north and south of Mustang, has been blocked due to a landslide.

According to the District Police Office of Mustang, the Korala road has been blocked since early this morning after a landslide, along with rocks, fell onto the road in Manebhir following last night's rainfall.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Chhiring Kippa Lama of the District Police Office said the road was blocked after a landslide with rocks fell from above the road in the Manebhir area of Korala road, about 200 metres north of Kagkhola in Kagbeni.

He stated that necessary human resources along with bulldozers have been sent to clear the road.

After the Kagbeni-Korala road was blocked in Mustang, vehicles commuting to Upper Mustang have been stranded mid-way. 

Lama said a landslide has caused large boulders to fall from above, and it may take some time to clear the road.

He mentioned that the landslide removal work was carried out to allow the immediate use of motorcycles and light vehicles.

With the rain last night in Mustang, the water level of the Kali Gandaki River has risen significantly.

The district administration office has urged the settlements in the coastal areas to remain alert.

The Kaligandaki corridor has been obstructed following a landslide at Baralwa site in Kaligandaki Rural Municipality, Gulmi district.

Chairman of the rural municipality Bed Bahadur Thapa said that a massive landslide has occurred along with the rock at Khadgakot in Gulmi.

The District Police Office, Gulmi, said that a team of police from Bhurtung Police Post has been deployed at the site. Police said that clearing the debris is not that easy as the landslide is still running up.   

Likewise, the District Administration Office, Gulmi, has asked the people living downstream to apply precautions against the flooding and landslides.

Vehicular movement along the Besisahar-Chame road section has been obstructed following a landslide triggered by incessant rainfall near the Bung Falls in Lamjung Marsyangdi Rural Municipality.

Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ramesh Bohora informed that efforts are underway to remove the landslide debris.

The more things change, the more they remain the same.

This year’s monsoon proved more fatal than the previous year’s.

Government data don’t lie, do they?

According to the  National Disaster Risk Reduction Authority under the Ministry of Home Affairs, this year's monsoon disasters caused the highest human casualties in Nepal since 2009 and five times more than the last year’s.

This year’s monsoon, which entered earlier compared to previous years but stayed 10 days more than usual, wreaked unprecedented havoc between June 10 and October 12 in an ill-prepared and multiple disasters-prone country standing shakily on a seismic fault-zone.  

During the period, 494 people lost their lives (marking an increase of 537 per cent compared to the last year), 66 went missing and 532 suffered injuries in 2,136 monsoon-related incidents that affected 5,937 families.

This monsoon, floods affected 2,227 families in 397 locations, with 90 human casualties, 18 cases of missing and 45 injuries. In 943 reported landslides, 343 people died, 48 went missing and 276 sustained injuries, directly impacting 1,561 families, according to the authority.

Incidents of heavy rainfall recorded in 538 locations killed nine people and caused injuries to 38 others, affecting 1,814 families. 

In 258 incidents of lightning recorded during the period, 52 people died and 164 suffered injuries, affecting 335 families, per the authority’s data.

From June 14 to October 15 last year, the authority recorded 891 monsoon-related incidents that killed 92 people, 30 went missing and 168 suffered injuries.

It’s clear that stepped-up disaster preparedness could have minimized the scale of the monsoon tragedy in a country that is very susceptible to natural disasters worsened by climate change.

After the monsoon havoc, the winter has arrived, exposing a large number of survivors, including children, women and senior citizens, to multiple challenges like food shortages, lack of shelters, health and hygiene issues and disruption of education.

The onus is on government authorities at federal, provincial and local levels to act in tandem and take urgent measures to ensure the survivors’ well-being, and prove the opening line entirely wrong in this context. 

Vehicular movement along the Buddhasingh road in Tanahun district was obstructed for 20 days after the landslides at Naldighat area in Vyas Municipality, Tanahun.

The local people have suffered severely after the vehicular obstruction for such a long time.

Several landslides were cleared along the Buddhasingh road but the landslides at Naldighat are yet to be cleared.

Coordinator of Buddhasingh Road Concern Committee, Siddhanta Thapa, said that their repeated pleas to clear the debris were unheard.

It is said that the locals of Bandipur Rural Municipality-6, Aabukhairani Rural Municipality-5 and Devghat Rural Municipality-3 and 4 have suffered the most after the vehicular obstruction there.   

The Gandaki Province Government has advanced the processes to develop this road as an alternative to Prithvi Highway to connect Tanahun and Chitwan districts.

Currently, preliminary works have been initiated to blacktop the Damauli-Sundhe section of the road.

A dry landslide occurred this morning at Bhaluwapani of Katari Municipality-14 has blocked the Katari-Ghurmi section of the Siddhicharan Highway.

According to Area Police Office Katari's Chief and Deputy Superintendent of Police, Kamal Bajgain, the landslide that occurred in the wee hours (around 2:00 am) today has completely disrupted the Highway. 

The landslide is substantial and the Road Division Office at Harkapur in Okhaldhunga has been requested to assist in clearing the landslide debris.

Ward chair Ambar Bahadur Magar said the landslide has buried around 150 meters of the Highway.

A bus and a Tata sumo are stranded at the site while vehicles expecting to pass through the Highway have stopped at the Katari Bazaar.

The disruption is to cause significant inconvenience to passengers heading to the hilly districts in Koshi Province: Khotang, Okhaldhunga and Solukhumbu via this route to vice-versa.

The Highway serves as the shortest route connecting the Terai to hilly districts in eastern Nepal.  

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.