Inundation causes havoc in Valley, Terai
By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, July 21: Torrential rains from Sunday evening caused devastating floods and landslides across the country, killing seven persons, submerging a number of settlements in the Terai and the Kathmandu Valley, burying houses and damaging roads in the hills.
According to Home Ministry, seven persons were killed in separate incidents of natural disasters in various places of the country on Monday.
According to Joint Secretary and spokesperson at National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Authority (NDRRMA) Murari Wosti, of the total deaths on Monday, two each occurred in Darchula and Tanahun's landslides, and one each in Gorkha, Dhading and Kathmandu. Joint Secretary Wosti said that heavy rains caused by monsoon trough from Sunday evening blocked major highways in 16 places across the country.
In Kathmandu, over a dozen temporary huts built by landless squatters on the bank of the Bagmati River bank near Thapathali were inundated on Monday afternoon after the flood from the river entered the settlement. A team of Metropolitan Police has been mobilised to avert any untoward incident.
Likewise, the swollen Bagmati inundated a settlement in Kirtipur Municipality.
Hanumante inundates three
dozen houses
Similarly, the flood in the Hanumante River in Bhaktapur district inundated over three dozen houses at Barahi riverside on Monday afternoon, according to Ward No 3 chairman of Bhaktapur Municipality, Ramkrishna Gora.
People living in one kilometre stretch of the riverside were directly affected by inundation, he said. “Especially people of Ward Nos. 1, 3 and 4 have been affected the most,” Gora said.
Bridge washed away in Dhading
In Dhading, floods triggered by heavy rains swept away a bridge along the Prithvi Highway severing connection of Kathmandu with the Terai. A bridge over Mauwa River connecting Chitwan and Dhading districts collapsed Monday afternoon.
The bridge on the side of Dhading collapsed Monday due to flood and landslide triggered by torrential rains from Sunday evening, said Deputy Superintendent of Police Rupak Khadka.
With the collapse of the bridge, vehicular movements along the highway have come to a grinding halt.
Landslides have obstructed the Prithvi Highway in about 50 places in Dhading district alone.
Likewise, the Kalupande Highway linking Dhadingbesi with the Highway was also obstructed by landslides.
In Gajuri Gaunpalika of Dhading, one person died when a landslide buried a house. Niruta Pariyar, 17, was killed in the landslide, according to DSP Khadka.
Malangawa submerged in water
Several settlements in Sarlahi submerged following a few hours of downpour on Monday. It rained continuously for three hours on Monday afternoon and that was enough to submerge many areas, including the district headquarters Malangawa.
In addition to water from the local Lakhandehi River entering the settlements, lack of proper sewage system also play a part in flooding private houses and government offices in Malangawa ever year.
Small huts have collapsed and water has washed away the stored food items in many parts of the district. The southern parts are more severely affected than the northern ones.
Two killed in Darchula
In Darchula, two persons died after being buried in rubbles of houses as a landslide hit Naugadh Rural Municipality-6 of Darchula district on Monday. Sudurpaschim Province Police Office, Dipayal, identified the deceased as Manmati Devi Thakunna, 42, and Arati Thakunna, 6, of Parigaun.
The landslide triggered by incessant rains swept houses in Parigaun, police informed.
According to spokesperson at the police office, Senior Superintendent of
Police (SSP) Mukesh Kumar Singh, the landslide debris that fell from above swept away the houses belonging to Manmati Thakunna, Birbhan Thakunna, along with seven-room and five-room buildings of a nearby school.
Similarly, a woman died when a landslide buried her at Gandaki Rural Municipality-4 in Fujel Kaidi of the district. The deceased was identified as Laxmi Mayan Gurung, 36, DSP Bashudev Khatiwada of the District Police Office, Gorkha.
The incident happened when she was inside a goat-shed to give a grass for goats. Nine goats have also been buried in the landslide. Over a dozen houses in rural Gorkha villages have been at the risk of landslide following the torrential rainfall in the district for the past two days.
Likewise, in Tanahu, two members of a family went missing when a landslide at Simalgairaha in Bhanu Municipality-9 buried them on Monday afternoon.
The two were identified as Tilamaya Dharaali, 80, and her granddaughter Dipasha, 17, according to DSP Yuba Raj Timilsina.
Saptari villages inundated
Meanwhile, over 200 houses were waterlogged after floods of the Saptakoshi and Khando Rivers entered human settlements in Saptari. The Khando River has inundated houses at Tilathi Koiladi Rural Municipality-1, 4, and 5 and over 100 houses at Barajhula also faced inundation, according to Rajesh Kumar Jha, Rural Municipality Disaster Management Officer.
Similarly, locals of around 50 houses residing at the east embankment sides of Saptakoshi River in Hanumannagar-Kankalini Municipality of Saptari district were affected.
Likewise, Ward Nos. 2, 5, and 6 of Rajbiraj Municipality were waterlogged.
Meanwhile, the water level in Saptakoshi River went down when measured on Monday afternoon. The water level was measured at 141,000 cusec, according to District Police Office, Saptari. Only 19 gates of the river were opened as there was no such pressure.
Rivers flowing beyond danger level
The Narayani River in Devghat of Chitwan district and Kankai River Jhapa crossed the danger marks on Monday evening. As of 6: 00 pm, the water level in Narayani was measured at 9.28m. The warning level of water for the Narayani River is at 7.3 and 8.0m as danger level, according to an update at hydrology.gov.np.
Water level in the Kankai River was measured at 6m crossing the danger level of 4.3m at 6:45 pm this evening.
According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, water levels in the Arun River in Simle of Dhankuta, and Tamor River at Majhitar in Panchthar and Mulghat in Dhankuta reached warning levels as of 6:00 pm today.
Also, Danda-based rainfall measuring station in Nawalpur district, Gorkha Syamgha of Tanahu district, and Kolbi of Bara district received 150 mm, 150.8mm, 159 mm and 169.8 mm rainfall respectively in the last 24 hours.
(With inputs from district Correspondents)
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