Flood damage in Nepal, 2021.
© United Nations Population Fund in NepalFlood damage in Nepal, 2021.
Hundreds of homes were damaged and residents rescued after flash floods in areas of Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, on 06 September 2021. Meanwhile officials in the country report that over 60 people have lost their lives in flood and landslides over the last 4 weeks.

Kathmandu

Flooding began in Kathmandu after heavy rainfall late 05 to early 06 September. Some areas saw more than 120mm of rain in around 8 hours. The September average for Kathmandu is around 200 mm.

Local media, quoting police sources, said that over 380 houses were damaged and more than 200 people rescued by teams from police and military across the city. No injuries or fatalities were reported.

The worst of the flooding was in areas along rivers in the city, in particular the Bagmati and Manohara. Flood water in Bhaktapur, situated between the Kasan and Hanumante rivers, caused residents to evacuate their homes. Parts of Lalitpur were also affected. The Bagmati at Khokana in Lalitpur reached 4.5 metres on 06 September, well above the danger mark of 4 metres.



Over 60 Killed in Floods and Landslides in 4 Weeks

According to figures from Nepal's Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA), heavy rain over the last few weeks has caused loss of life and material damages across the country.

In the period from 07 August to 07 September, 61 people lost their lives in the country as a result of floods, landslides or damage from heavy rainfall, MoHA reported. Three people are still missing and 50 were injured. Hundreds of families have been affected and almost 100 homes destroyed. MoHA figures show over 200 rain-related incidents occurred during the 4 week period.

In recent days 5 people died in a landslide in Kushma Municipality in Parbat District and 4 people lost their lives in flooding in Ghorahi in Dang District.

Severe flooding and landslides have been affecting the country since the start of this year's monsoon rainfall in mid-June with more flooding in early July.

After easing for s short time, rainfall in the country intensified in late August, "with many rivers crossing warning levels, causing widespread inundation in many parts of the southern plains as well as reported incidents of landslides in the hilly region," According to Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS).

NRCS said that the worst affected districts were Myagdi, Rupandehi, Dang, Darchula, Sindhuli, Nawalparasi East, Nawalparasi West, Kanchanpur, Kailali, Udayapur and Mahottari, with 4,899 families affected, including 2,129 of them being temporarily displaced.