Search and rescue operations continued for the third consecutive day on Monday in Nepal after more than 200 people died in monsoon-induced floods and landslides in one of the worst rain-related disasters in the Himalayan nation in recent years.
Incessant rain over the weekend caused floods and landslides that devastated Kathmandu and most districts of Nepal.
At least 204 people have been killed in incessant rains, floods, landslides and floods, MyRepublica news portal quoted the Armed Police Forces (APF) as saying.
It said 89 others were also injured across the country in the disaster, while 33 others were missing.
An all-party meeting convened by caretaker Prime Minister Prakash Man Singh at the Prime Minister’s Office in Singha Darbar on Sunday took the decision to step up rescue, relief and restoration efforts during the ongoing disaster caused by heavy rains.
The Home Ministry said it would provide grants to construct temporary housing, repair blocked roads to restore transportation and ensure effective free health treatment for citizens injured in disaster incidents.
A task force was also formed to assess the details of the damage caused within a 15-day time frame, the news portal reported.
The Disaster Management Executive Committee said it would provide relief funds to the families of the missing. The report said that if the missing person is not found within 10 days, their family will be provided the same amount as is given to the next of kin of a person killed in a rain-related disaster.
The Home Ministry said all security agencies have been deployed for relief efforts following the floods and landslides and Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force personnel have so far rescued around 4,500 disaster-affected persons.
While the injured are receiving free treatment, food and other emergency relief materials have been provided to others affected by the floods.
According to eyewitnesses, hundreds of people in Kathmandu are facing shortage of food, safe drinking water and sanitation after the natural disaster.
Market prices have also increased as the movement of vegetables from India and other districts of the country has been temporarily halted due to blockage of major highways due to landslides.
Many roads across the country have been seriously damaged, and all routes towards the capital Kathmandu are still blocked, leaving thousands of travelers stranded, The Kathmandu Post newspaper reports.
Home Ministry spokesperson Rishiram Tiwari said efforts were on to clear the blocked highways to resume transportation.
At least 20 hydropower plants with a combined capacity of 1,100 MW have been damaged due to floods and landslides triggered by incessant rains over the past three days, disrupting power supply in Kathmandu and other major cities.
Jagan Chapagain, Chief Executive Officer and Secretary General of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said, “Heavy rains since Friday have caused widespread flooding in the Kathmandu Valley and across Nepal. This is the worst flooding experienced in recent years.” Is.” , in a post on X.
“In response to the crisis, local branches of @NepalRedCross are working closely with authorities and the Nepal Red Cross Emergency Operations Center to coordinate rescue and relief operations,” he said. The Bagmati, Kathmandu’s main river, was flowing above danger levels after persistent rain lashed large parts of eastern and central Nepal on Friday and Saturday, a report published by the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said.
“The low pressure system over the Bay of Bengal and the more northerly position of the monsoon trough were the reasons behind the exceptionally intense rainfall,” it said on Saturday.
Scientists say that while climate change is altering the amount and timing of rainfall across Asia, a major driver of increased flood impacts is the built environment, including unplanned construction, particularly on floodplains, which are less likely to retain water. And leaves insufficient area for drainage. ,
Floods and landslides have disrupted life in many parts of the country, with many highways and road sections disrupted, hundreds of houses and bridges buried or washed away, and hundreds of families displaced.
Thousands of passengers are stranded at various places due to road blockage.
During the all-party meeting, it was also decided that the Ministry of Health and Population will take up awareness programs and other initiatives at potential and appropriate places to prevent the spread of diseases, as epidemics can spread after such disasters.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
