Following the deadly monsoon floods that claimed the lives of at least 192 individuals in Nepal, search and rescue teams in Kathmandu are now sorting through the aftermath left by the natural disaster.
Flooding and landslides during the monsoon season in South Asia are unfortunately not uncommon, with experts attributing the increasing severity to climate change.
Kathmandu found itself submerged after experiencing the heaviest rainfall in over two decades, leading to the capital being temporarily isolated from the rest of the country due to blocked highways caused by landslides.
“Our focus is on search and rescue, including people who have been stranded on highways,” Home Ministry spokesman Rishi Ram Tiwari told AFP.
“192 people have been reported dead, and another 31 are missing,” he added.
Home Ministry spokesman Rishi Ram Tiwari emphasized the main focus is on search and rescue efforts, with 31 people still missing along with the 192 confirmed casualties.
One particularly devastating incident saw 35 lives lost when a landslide engulfed vehicles on a highway south of Kathmandu, as reported by Nepal Police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki.
Rescue operations are ongoing in heavily affected neighborhoods, with unapproved settlements along the Bagmati River exacerbating the disaster, according to the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.
Nepal’s army has successfully rescued over 4,000 people through various means such as helicopters and rafts, while bulldozers are being utilized to clear debris obstructing major highways leading to the capital.
The impact of the floods has also disrupted the supply chain of fresh produce into Kathmandu, leaving farmers’ harvests stranded due to road closures, as highlighted by merchant Binay Shrestha.
Data from Nepal’s weather bureau revealed record-breaking rainfall in several districts, with the Kathmandu airport recording the highest rainfall since 2002.
Although the monsoon season is crucial for agriculture and food production in South Asia, it also brings about devastating floods and landslides, further worsened by the effects of climate change.
This year alone, over 300 individuals in Nepal have lost their lives due to weather-related disasters.
