52 killed in climate-induced disasters in Nepal

Kathmandu, Oct 5 (IANS) At least 52 people have lost their lives in natural calamities over the last three days in Nepal, as the country has been experiencing incessant rainfall since Friday in most parts, an official of the Armed Police Force (APF) said.

APF Spokesperson Director Inspector General, Kalidas Dhaubaji, told IANS on Sunday evening that 52 people were killed, seven have gone missing, and 27 have been injured due to monsoon-induced disasters in different parts of the country.

"As many as 38 people died in eastern Ilam district alone due to landslides," he said.

Besides human casualties, Nepal has also suffered infrastructure damage due to landslides and floods across the country.

According to the Independent Power Producers' Association, Nepal (IPPAN), a representative body of private-sector power developers, flooding and landslides affected 18 hydropower projects -- 13 operating and five under-construction projects affecting power generation.

Power generation by 13 projects with a total capacity of 105.4 MW has remained halted due to damage to various infrastructure linked to these projects, the IPPAN said.

The country, which is rich in hydropower potential, is also facing risks to this vital infrastructure due to climate change-related disasters in recent years.

According to the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, riverbank erosion, flooding, and inundation occurred in various areas due to the recent incessant rainfall, resulting in the erosion of nearly 1,500 metres of embankments along riverbanks and causing an estimated preliminary loss of around Rs 100 million.

Some irrigation projects were also inundated due to flooding, according to the Ministry.

Meanwhile, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said that water levels of several rivers -- including the Bagmati, Trishuli, Eastern Rapti, Lalbakaiya, and Kamala -- had crossed the alert level due to prolonged rainfall but are now gradually receding.

Likewise, the water level in the Saptakoshi river crossed the danger level till Sunday afternoon, and its tributaries — mainly the Tamor, Sunkoshi, and Arun rivers -- also surpassed the danger level but are now on a declining trend.

The Koshi river, often referred to as the "Sorrow of Bihar", continues to remain a major concern for India because of the flooding and inundation it causes in Bihar during the monsoon.

Meanwhile, the Monsoon Response Command Post, a body under the Ministry of Home Affairs, decided on Sunday to make arrangements to provide immediate relief to the families of the deceased, continue rescue, relief, and rehabilitation efforts for individuals affected and displaced by monsoon-induced disasters, and request the concerned agencies to promptly collect data on the initial impacts and losses.

Likewise, the government body also decided to request local governments and relevant agencies to complete relief distribution, relocation, and rehabilitation of affected families, instruct the concerned agency to repair and reopen obstructed roads, and take immediate necessary actions to restore essential services such as water supply, electricity, and communication.

--IANS

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