KATHMANDU, Sep 30 (Alliance News): Residents of Nepal’s flood-stricken capital returned to their mud-caked homes on Sunday, facing the aftermath of devastating floods that have claimed at least 170 lives across the Himalayan nation.
While rain-related floods and landslides are common during the South Asian monsoon season from June to September, experts warn that climate change is amplifying their frequency and intensity.
Over the weekend, entire neighborhoods in Kathmandu were inundated, with flash floods reported in local rivers and significant damage to highways that connect the city to the rest of Nepal.
Home ministry spokesman Rishi Ram Tiwari informed foreign media that bulldozers are currently working to clear blocked highways, which have cut off Kathmandu from other regions. “More than 3,000 people have been rescued,” he added.
Tragically, at least 36 of those killed were in three vehicles buried alive by landslides along a highway south of Kathmandu, as confirmed by Nepal Police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki.
The valley where the capital is situated received a staggering 240 mm (9.4 inches) of rain in just 24 hours, marking the highest recorded rainfall in Kathmandu since at least 1970, according to the country’s weather bureau.
As the Bagmati River and its tributaries overflowed, residents waded through chest-deep water in search of safety. Bishnu Maya Shrestha, a local resident, described a harrowing escape: “We had to cut the roof of our homes to escape. We jumped from one roof to another to safety, and finally, they came with boats to rescue us.”
Over 3,000 security personnel were deployed to assist in rescue operations, utilizing helicopters and motorboats. Teams used rafts to pull survivors from the floodwaters. By Sunday morning, domestic flights in and out of Kathmandu had resumed after being halted since Friday evening, with more than 150 departures canceled due to severe weather.
The summer monsoon accounts for 70-80% of South Asia’s annual rainfall, bringing death and destruction every year. Unfortunately, the number of fatal floods and landslides has risen sharply in recent years, with more than 260 fatalities in Nepal alone from rain-related disasters this year.
