Kathmandu, July 6: Since the onset of monsoon, landsides triggered by heavy rainfall have claimed lives and destroyed property in different parts of Nepal in the past two weeks. At least 32 people have died and property worth Rs. 9.1 million was destroyed. Likewise, 133 families have been affected by landslides and flooding.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction & Management Authority (NDRRMA) has recorded 256 incidents of landslide, thunderbolt, snakebite, fire and flood all over Nepal. Of them, 97 are related to landslides and floods.
Experts have warned that changes in rainfall pattern, from heavy to intense rainfall within a short span of time, have resulted in water-induced disasters in the country. It has put Nepal in high-risk zone with respect to landslides and sudden floods in rivers.
Deaths of 15 persons in the mudslides in Parbat two weeks ago and Bajhang on Friday were the results of concentration of heavy rain in the area.
Saraju Kumar Baidhya, Director General at the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology in Nepal (DMHN), said that the landslides occurred because of change in the rainfall pattern. He said that the light rain that suddenly grew into a heavy downpour caused the damage both in Parbat and Bajhang landslips.
“This year the monsoon has become active from the beginning. Another cause is heavy rains that occurred before the monsoon in the months of March, April and May that soaked the land,” said Baidhya.
Anil Pokhrel, Chief Executive of NDRRMA, said that the trend of landslides had increased over the years. “Most of the villages in the hilly region are on steep slopes, formed by old rocks. Therefore, there is always a risk of cloudburst damage. Due to the steep topography and the age of our mountains along with the increasing pattern of heavy rainfall, landslide hazard has increased,” Pokhrel said.
Pokhrel said that landslides had occurred in unexpected areas putting lives of people at high risk. The mudslides in Parbat and Bajhang occurred in unexpected areas, he said.
In the first three weeks of monsoon, over three dozen houses have been washed away and about 85 incidents of landslides were reported. The NDRRMA has been working in high-risk districts, providing necessary equipment to prevent the disaster. Pokhrel said as part of early preparedness work the authorities have provided two more motorboats and a much-needed generator to be loaded in case of a power outage in the seven high-risk districts — Kapilvastu, Nawalparassi, Parasi, Bara, Saptari, Siraha, Rautahat and Bardiya.
According to Baidhya, construction activities without investigation such as the construction of roads, irrigation systems, and tunnels are creating additional disasters in the hilly areas.
The monsoon becomes more active in the month of July, but the continuous rainfall of the last few days has been extreme in nature. Baidhya said that increasingly intense rainfall over a short period could be linked to climate change, but there is no research conducted on this in Nepal.
– The Rising Nepal
