Nepal
Floods and landslides triggered by the incessant rains since Wednesday have affected normal life in the west and far west of the country, disrupting traffic on many roads and cutting off communication and power supplies.
The Mahakali Highway remains obstructed due to landslide triggered by continuous rain. A landslide occurred near Sinkelek of Baitadi on Sunday morning, disrupting the highway.
A dozer and excavator have been deployed to clear the landslide debris and open the highway for traffic, said Inspector Lok Raj Joshi, spokesperson for the District Police Office. The blockade has created long queues of vehicles, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded at Sinkelek.
Similarly, the highway has been partially obstructed at Khiregaon, Dogadakedar-3 due to a landslip.
Continuous rains since Wednesday have hit normal life in Sudurpaschim Province, including Baitadi. Commuters returning after Dashain celebrations face problems as rain-triggered landslides have obstructed roads in several places.
The two main highways in the Far West – Bhimdatta and KI Singh – have been blocked in Dadeldhura due to landslides.
According to the District Police Office Dadeldhura, landslides at Sahukharka on the Bhimdatta Highway and Raduwa on the KI Singh Highway disrupted vehicular movement on the roads.
Most rural roads of West Jajarkot, Rukum West remain dysfunctional due to the incessant rains.
The inclement weather has also disrupted communication and electricity supplies in rural areas. Nepal Telecom communication towers operated by solar power have stopped working due to the lack of sunlight.
The communication between district headquarters Jajarkot and other municipalities remains cut off. Even the phone service in the headquarters has been out of order for three days due to power cuts.
The Nepal Electricity Authority has reported that continuous rainfall has created a problem in its transmission system.
The unseasonal rain has also damaged the paddy crops and hay harvested by the farmers.
The Far western region will likely receive more rains for another 2-3 days, the Meteorological Forecasting Division has predicted.
The District Administration Office has advised the residents to take precautions because of the possibility of more rain-triggered flooding and landslides in the region.
Thousands without power in Baglung, Myagdi
Thousands of people have been forced to live in darkness due to damage caused to three hydropower projects in Baglung and Myadgi districts.
The micro-hydropower projects in Nisikhola Rural Municipality-4 and 5 were damaged due to floods and landslides triggered by continuous rainfall since the past few days.
The power house of Nisikhola I has been flooded, and the canal of Nisikhola II has been damaged, said Project Manager Ram Prasad Chalise.
Continuous rain in the region has delayed maintenance work, according to him. “It will take a few more days to bring the projects back into operation.”
The disruption of the power projects has brought many small and cottage industries to a standstill. Around 10,000 residents of Nisikhola Rural Municipality-3, 4 and 5 have been forced to live in darkness, Chalise added.
Similarly, Gurja Village of Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality-1 in Myagdi also has been left without power after a flood swept away the canal of 35KW Inglekhola Small Hydropower Project.
Jhak Bahadur Chantyal, ward chair of Gurja, said that 250 households had been without electricity for the past five days.
The continuous rain has also disrupted the mobile phone service in the area. Chantyal said snow had covered the mountains around Gurja after the rain. Gurja is one of the remotest settlements in Myagdi, inhabited by minority Chantyal and Dalit communities. With no road connection yet, it is a day’s walk from the neighbouring village of Lulang.
With RSS inputs
