28 September :At least 70 people have been killed in floods and landslides triggered by days of heavy rain and storms in India and Nepal. Uttar Pradesh in India has recorded 56 deaths, while 14 people have died in Nepal, where 11 others remain missing.
Nepalese authorities said on Sunday that the rapidly rising levels of rivers had raised fresh concerns over flash floods in several parts of the country.
In India’s Uttar Pradesh, 66.5 millimetres of rain was recorded between 25 September and the morning of 27 September, far above the normal rainfall of 7.6 millimetres for the period.
State Relief Commissioner Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod said rescue operations were continuing in flood-hit areas and relief was being provided to affected residents. Authorities have also ordered an assessment of crop losses so that compensation can be provided to farmers.
Floods and landslides have killed 56 people and injured 46 others in Uttar Pradesh, while more than 1,000 houses have been damaged.
Flash Flood Alert Issued for 49 Districts in Nepal
Authorities in Nepal have issued warnings of possible flash floods in 49 of the country’s 77 districts. More than half of those districts are considered at risk of major flooding or flash floods as water levels in major rivers and their tributaries continue to rise.
Shanti Mahat, spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, said residents in Rasuwa and Nuwakot—two areas badly affected by last month’s devastating floods—had been advised to remain alert. More than 1,450 people were killed and many others remain missing from those floods.
However, Mahat said the two districts were not currently considered the areas at highest risk.
Flooding has completely disrupted electricity supplies in the districts of Manang, Mustang, Myagdi and Baglung. Authorities are working to restore power connections.
Rising water levels in the Rahuganga River have also damaged infrastructure at a 40-megawatt hydropower project, including transmission-line towers.
Telecommunications services have been disrupted in several areas as well. Communications Minister Bikram Timilsina said damage to optical-fibre networks and power supplies had caused the disruptions.
Separately, 10 local workers have gone missing after an avalanche struck the base camp of Mount Himlung Himal, which stands 7,126 metres above sea level in northern Nepal’s Manang district.
The workers had been preparing tents for foreign mountaineers when the avalanche buried the base camp. Officials said no foreign climbers were present at the site at the time.