The monsoon system is currently prevailing in four provinces of Nepal and is expected to extend across the entire country by June 23, according to the Meteorological Forecasting Division(MFD).
The MFD reports that the monsoon is active across most of Koshi, Madhesh, Bagmati, and Gandaki provinces, with eastern Lumbini Province also experiencing its effects. The remaining areas of Lumbini Province are under the partial influence of local and westerly winds.
This year’s monsoon entered Nepal on 10th June through the eastern region, however, its spread to the western and far-western regions has been slow due to the influence of the Westerly wind. In 2023, it took three weeks for the monsoon to spread across the country after its arrival. The arrival of monsoons are also expected to gradually alleviate the ongoing heatwave related issues across the country.
A bulletin published by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) reported 2 casualties and 13 injuries during the week of 15 – 21 June, 2024.
In Siraha, Lahan-17 Balansar Tol, near the Balan River, two 8-year-old children were swept away by a flood while bathing. A search team of 23 people found both children dead on the riverbanks. Similarly, lightning strikes accounted for seven injuries, while landslides and floods accounted for the remaining five injuries.
Roads have been blocked in five places, and four cattle have been injured. A total of 342 people from 81 families have been displaced due to floods and landslides since the start of the monsoon precipitation in Taplejung.
Taplejung reels from monsoon-related disasters as rain continues:
Chief District Officer (CDO) of Taplejung Rabindra Prasad Acharya reported that five people lost their lives to landslides within a week. Eight houses have been completely damaged, and 18 more are at high risk. Additionally, 55 houses are at risk of landslide in various places in the district. Eighty-four cattle have been killed, four vehicles have been damaged, and four bridges, including two motorable wooden bridges, have been washed away by floods.
70 displaced families are sheltering with relatives and neighbors, while 11 families are taking shelter at a nearby school. The highest numbers of displaced families are from Sirijangha, Sidingwa, Mikwakhola, and Phaktanglung rural municipalities. Four members of the same family were killed when their house was swept away by a landslide in Phaktanglung-2 on 14th June, 2024, and one person from Phidim, Panchthar, died in Sirijangha on 13th June, 2024.
Landslides triggered by incessant rain have damaged roads and hydroelectric projects in most rural areas. Local governments are working to repair the roads, but most rural roads remain obstructed in Sirijangha and Phaktanglung rural municipalities. Flooding and landslides have caused significant damage to cardamom farming, and people in rural areas are living in fear of rain-induced disasters as it continues to rain daily.