Nepal: 52 killed in climate-induced disasters

At least 52 people have lost their lives in natural calamities over the last three days in Nepal as the country has been experiencing incessant rainfall since Friday in most parts an official of the Armed Police Force APF saidAPF Spokesperson Director Inspector General Kalidas Dhaubaji told IANS on Sunday evening that 52 people were killed seven have gone missing and 27 have been injured due to monsooninduced disasters in different parts of the countryAs many as 38 people died in eastern Ilam district alone due to landslides he saidBesides human casualties Nepal has also suffered infrastructure damage due to landslides and floods across the countryAccording to the Independent Power Producers Association Nepal IPPAN a representative body of privatesector power developers flooding and landslides affected 18 hydropower projects 13 operating and five underconstruction projects affecting power generationPower generation by 13 projects with a total capacity of 1054 MW has remained halted due to damage to various infrastructure linked to these projects the IPPAN saidThe country which is rich in hydropower potential is also facing risks to this vital infrastructure due to climate changerelated disasters in recent yearsAccording to the Ministry of Energy Water Resources and Irrigation riverbank erosion flooding and inundation occurred in various areas due to the recent incessant rainfall resulting in the erosion of nearly 1500 metres of embankments along riverbanks and causing an estimated preliminary loss of around Rs 100 millionSome irrigation projects were also inundated due to flooding according to the MinistryMeanwhile the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said that water levels of several rivers including the Bagmati Trishuli Eastern Rapti Lalbakaiya and Kamala had crossed the alert level due to prolonged rainfall but are now gradually recedingLikewise the water level in the Saptakoshi river crossed the danger level till Sunday afternoon and its tributaries mdash mainly the Tamor Sunkoshi and Arun rivers also surpassed the danger level but are now on a declining trendThe Koshi river often referred to as the Sorrow of Bihar continues to remain a major concern for India because of the flooding and inundation it causes in Bihar during the monsoonMeanwhile the Monsoon Response Command Post a body under the Ministry of Home Affairs decided on Sunday to make arrangements to provide immediate relief to the families of the deceased continue rescue relief and rehabilitation efforts for individuals affected and displaced by monsooninduced disasters and request the concerned agencies to promptly collect data on the initial impacts and lossesLikewise the government body also decided to request local government and relevant agencies to complete relief distribution relocation and rehabilitation of affected families instruct the concerned agency to repair and reopen obstructed roads and take immediate necessary actions to restore essential services such as water supply electricity and communicationThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever