Floods and landslides caused by heavy rain and storms have killed 70 people in India and Nepal — 56 in India and 14 in Nepal — while 11 people remain missing in Nepal. Authorities warned on Sunday 27 September of possible further flooding as water levels continued to rise in major rivers and their tributaries.
Rain damage in India’s Uttar Pradesh
Authorities are carrying out rescue operations in flooded areas while distributing relief supplies to residents affected by the floods and storms. Local officials were asked to assess damage to crops ahead of compensation payments to affected farmers.
Indian river monitoring stations record danger levels
Data from the Central Water Commission also showed that 30 river monitoring stations across seven Indian states recorded what the commission described as a “danger situation”. The commission said levels in several major rivers had exceeded danger marks, including the Ganges, Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati and Narmada, indicating that floods continued to threaten large areas amid heavy rain.
In Nepal, authorities issued warnings of possible flooding in 49 of the country’s 77 districts. More than half of these districts face a high risk of floods or flash floods, as major rivers and their tributaries continue to record rising water levels.
Nepal warnings issued for dozens of areas
Shanti Mahat, a spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, said the districts of Rasuwa and Nuwakot should remain on “alert”, although they are not currently classified as high-risk areas. The two districts were hit by severe floods last month. Mahat added that last month’s floods killed more than 1450 people and left thousands more missing.
The new warning comes as Nepalese authorities monitor river levels and the possibility of flash floods forming in the hours ahead. The effects of the rain and floods have also spread to communications and power services in parts of Nepal. Communications Minister Bikram Timilsina said floods and landslides had disrupted communications services in some areas after fibre-optic networks and electricity supplies were damaged.
Power was also completely cut off in Manang, Mustang, Myagdi and Baglung, and authorities and technicians from the Energy Ministry began working to restore electricity supplies to the affected areas. The outages came as field response operations continued and warnings were issued of further flooding.
In a separate incident unrelated to the floods, officials responsible for mountain trekking in Nepal said 10 workers were missing after an avalanche buried the base camp on Mount Himlung Himal, in the northern district of Manang, which stands at 7126 metres.
The workers were putting up tents for foreign climbers when the avalanche struck, while the climbers were not at the base camp at the time. The incident coincided with disruptive weather affecting several parts of Nepal and disrupting some essential services.
