KATHMANDU: Search and rescue teams in Nepal’s capital, Kathmandu, sifted through the wreckage of homes on Monday, following severe monsoon floods that have claimed at least 200 lives across the country.
The monsoon season, which runs from June to September, often brings deadly floods and landslides to South Asia, but experts warn that climate change is exacerbating these events.
Entire neighborhoods in Kathmandu were submerged after the region experienced its heaviest rainfall in over two decades, temporarily isolating the capital as landslides blocked key highways. “The latest reports indicate 200 fatalities, 127 injuries, and 26 individuals still missing,” said Home Ministry spokesman Rishi Ram Tiwari.
Among the deceased, police reported that at least 35 people were buried alive when a landslide struck vehicles on a highway south of the city. Bulldozers have been deployed to clear major roads that were obstructed by debris, while the home ministry is focused on rescuing people stranded on highways.
Rescue workers, equipped with knee-high rubber boots and shovels, are clearing mud from the hardest-hit riverside areas, many of which are informal slum settlements. The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), a Nepal-based think tank, noted that unplanned urban encroachment along the Bagmati River has intensified the disaster’s impact.
Nepal’s army reported that over 4,000 people have been rescued, utilizing helicopters, motorboats, and rafts to bring stranded individuals to safety. Nilkantha Pandey of the humanitarian organization CARE Nepal highlighted the urgent need for safe drinking water and temporary housing for those affected. “Mostly informal settlements have been impacted,” he stated. “It’s time to respond without delay.”
Merchants in Kathmandu reported that damage to intercity roads has severely disrupted the supply of fresh produce to the capital. “Farmers are ready with their goods, but everything is stuck due to blocked highways,” said Binay Shrestha from a major produce market.
Nepal’s weather bureau revealed that record-breaking rainfall was recorded in the 24 hours leading up to Saturday morning, with Kathmandu airport measuring about 240 millimeters (9.4 inches) of rain—the highest total since 2002. Climate expert Arun Bhakta Shrestha from ICIMOD described the rainfall as “abnormal” and pointed to climate change as a contributing factor, alongside unplanned urban development.
The summer monsoon is critical for agriculture in South Asia, providing 70-80 percent of the region’s annual rainfall. However, it also brings widespread destruction through floods and landslides, with over 300 fatalities reported in rain-related incidents in Nepal this year.
