Final week, record-breaking rainfall brought on the Bagmati River to burst its banks, flooding Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu.
The worst floods and landslides in years have hit the Kathmandu Valley, killing greater than 200 individuals and damaging hundreds of houses.
So what precisely causes floods and landslides? Is it local weather change or the unbridled city encroachment on the rivers that circulate by way of the Kathmandu Valley? We converse to consultants to know the lethal flooding within the Himalayas.
How a lot rain does it rain in Kathmandu?
The Kathmandu Valley recorded about 240 millimeters (9.4 inches) of rain from Thursday to Sunday, the worst flooding since 2002, in line with information from the Kathmandu Airport Monitoring Station.
Elements of Kathmandu obtained as much as 322.2 millimeters (12.7 inches) of rainfall.
Heavy rainfall primarily happens in Kathmandu and surrounding areas.
The mountainous area of Pokhara, a well-liked vacationer vacation spot greater than 200 kilometers (124 miles) from Kathmandu, was additionally hit by flooding.
How many individuals died in Nepal floods?
On Wednesday morning, the Nepal Police Headquarters reported that the loss of life toll from flooding and ensuing landslides had risen to 228.
A minimum of 25 individuals have been lacking and 158 injured, native information outlet The Kathmandu Put up reported, citing police reviews.
How is the flood restoration work progressing in Nepal?
Police, paramilitary forces and the military stepped up restoration efforts on Monday.
Nepal’s navy reported that greater than 4,000 individuals had been rescued utilizing helicopters, zip traces and rafts.
Nonetheless, broken infrastructure and blocked roads have hampered rescue operations, native media reported.
Indian Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli convened an emergency assembly on Monday after coming back from a gathering of the United Nations Basic Meeting in New York. He was criticized for not shortening his journey after the catastrophe.
What brought on the worst flooding in years?
Nepal final reported extreme flooding in 2002.
The Worldwide Middle for Built-in Mountain Improvement, a Nepal-based suppose tank, stated unplanned city encroachment across the Bagmati River has worsened the floods.
Pawan Bhattarai, assistant professor on the Division of Civil Engineering at Tribhuvan College, stated the report rainfall led to extreme flooding and was brought on by human elements.
“Pure flooding occasions flip into critical disasters as a consequence of lack of preparation or warning, unscientific land use practices and haphazard growth actions,” Bhattarai stated.
City planner Neeraj Dangol stated there have been many elements behind the latest catastrophe.
He stated the Bagmati River had grow to be narrower as a consequence of haphazard planning and concrete growth following Kathmandu’s dramatic inhabitants development within the early Nineteen Nineties.
“Within the final 40-50 years, homes and roads have been in-built areas that have been as soon as a part of the river system,” Dangol explains.
Earlier than the chaotic growth, he added, the bottom was made up of porous, absorbent agricultural land. Now, the concrete materials of roads and sidewalks causes water to run off, “rising the drainage load.”
City growth additionally results in deforestation. Woodlands assist retain moisture and stop runoff. In consequence, deforestation makes land extra prone to flooding.
He added that the drainage system has not but been up to date to accommodate Nepal’s rising inhabitants.
Between 1991 and 2001, the inhabitants elevated from 18 million to 23 million. Based on the Nepal Central Bureau of Statistics, the inhabitants was 29 million as of the final census in 2021.
Is local weather change making flooding extra extreme?
Consultants say local weather change has certainly made floods in Nepal extra frequent and extreme in recent times.
“Excessive climate occasions are occurring with rising frequency and rainfall patterns have gotten much less predictable, which may be attributed to local weather change,” Bhattarai stated.
Nonetheless, “we can not blame local weather change to cowl up our mismanagement of rivers,” he added.
Who suffers probably the most from floods in Nepal?
City planner Dan Gore stated communities residing in casual shantytowns alongside the river have been hardest hit by the floods. These communities are made up of working class households and each day wage earners.
“Not solely have been they straight affected by the flooding, in addition they suffered property harm, job losses and the dearth of fresh water for a lot of days,” he stated.
He added that they needed to spend cash and energy rebuilding their houses after the floods with no security web to fall again on.
Native media quoted the Ministry of City Improvement as saying that 10% of Nepal’s city inhabitants lives in casual settlements.
Based on the most recent information from native media in August 2023, the each day wage is mounted at 668 Nepalese rupees (5 US {dollars}) per day.
“Furthermore, girls and youngsters in Nepal are extremely weak to such excessive climate occasions,” Bhattarai added.
The right way to forestall flooding?
“It is higher to be ready than to react afterwards,” stated city planner Dan Gore. [flooding] happen.
He added that in the long run, city planning must be improved and efforts ought to be made to not destroy the unique course of the river.
Dangor stated using porous supplies in development and infrastructure upgrades to deal with rising populations are different measures wanted to mitigate future disasters.
Tribhuvan College’s Bhattarai added that water tasks resembling hydropower and irrigation programs ought to be designed to resist excessive flooding and landslides.
As well as, “early warning messages ought to be successfully disseminated and other people’s consciousness of security measures throughout floods and different water-related disasters ought to be raised,” he stated.
Authorities businesses ought to collaborate with analysis establishments to develop research-based options to flooding and water-related points, he added.
“We must always not overlook that this isn’t the primary time this has occurred. It occurs yearly, however this time it was on a large scale.
