By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, July 9: Floods and landslides triggered by torrential rainfall across the country since Wednesday evening killed seven persons, leaving nearly a dozen injured and half a dozen others missing.
With the latest six, the total deaths caused by the monsoon-induced disaster reached 51 with 35 injuries and 60 missing cases as of July 8 from June 14, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).
Over these days, 548 infrastructures have been completely damaged and 148 partially. With further activation of monsoon phenomena since Wednesday evening, several regions have been continuously receiving heavy rainfall, according to senior divisional hydrologist Bikram Zoowa at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM).
According to Meteorological Forecasting Division under the DHM on Thursday, the present monsoon trough will remain active till Saturday afternoon in many parts of the country including Province Nos. 1, 2, Bagmati, and Lumbini. There is a chance of very heavy rainfall in one or two places of Bagmati, Gandaki and Lumbini Provinces this week.
Of those killed in the last 24 hours, three were in Darchula, two in Palpa and one each in Tanahun and Dang districts.
Meanwhile, water flow in the Narayani and its tributaries, especially Budhigandaki, Trishuli, Marsyangdi and Kaligandaki, has increased significantly and some of them reached the alarming levels Thursday afternoon.
Also, the water flow in Saptakoshi and its tributaries Sunkoshi, Bhotekoshi, Tamakoshi, Dudhkoshi, Arun, Tamor and other rivers is expected to increase and some of them will reach near alert level while the flow in the Tinau, Kankai, Kamala, Bagmati and their tributaries will increase significantly till Saturday.
17 houses collapse, 67 families displaced in Tanahun
Sixty-seven families have been displaced in Bandipur Rural Municipality of Tanahu district due to landslide triggered by incessant rains.
Out of the 67 houses at risk, 17 houses were completely destroyed and 15 houses were partially destroyed, said Karuna Gurung, vice-chairman of the Rural Municipality. She said that the entire settlement of Khahare area has been displaced. Similarly, in Ramkot of the district, four houses have collapsed and three houses have been partially damaged. Also, 12 families have been displaced in Dharapani of Ward No. 2.
Khum Bahadur Thapa, 40, of Rishing Rural Municipality-8, died on the spot after he was buried by a landslide at 6 am on Thursday.
According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Yubaraj Timilsina of the District Police Office, his body was recovered during a search operation. The incident happened while he was diverting water that was hitting his cowshed.
Similarly, 52-year-old Devishara Thapa went missing after she was buried by a landslide at Ward No. 7 of Rishing Rural Municipality. The landslide also completely damaged three houses of the same ward, DSP Timilsina said.
Meanwhile, our Urlabari correspondent said that paddy seedling planted at Rajabash in Ratuwamai-7 of Morang district has been buried by sand after flooded Ratuwa River entered the paddy field. The flood of Ratuwa River has swept away five katthas of land of Bibek Bhatta. Similarly, about one bigha of paddy field of Kalu Tajpuriya, Tirtha Shrestha and Leela Karki was buried with sand.
In Palpa, a man died and a minor went missing as a landslide buried and destroyed five houses at Gittikhani in Tinau Rural Municpality-5 of the district.
The deceased has been identified as Bir Bahadur Gurung, 45. The missing is a four-year-old son of local Puja Pariyar, said police. In the mudslide, seven have been injured, SP Shantosh Kumar Bhattarai, chief of the District Police Office, Palpa, said.Also, Siddhartha Highway has been blocked by landslides at various points.

(With inputs from our correspondents from Tanahun, Morang and Palpa)