Nepal Closes Schools After Heavy Rains Result in 100 Fatalities, Reports Reuters

By Gopal Sharma

KATHMANDU – Nepal has closed schools for three days following devastating landslides and floods that resulted from two days of heavy rainfall throughout the country. Officials reported that the death toll has reached 100, with 67 individuals still missing.

Severe flooding paralyzed traffic and daily life in the Kathmandu valley, which is home to approximately 4 million residents, including the capital. Authorities indicated that students and their parents would face challenges as many school and university facilities sustained damage and require repairs.

"We have urged the concerned authorities to close schools in the affected regions for three days," stated Lakshmi Bhattarai, a spokesperson for the education ministry.

Some areas of the capital recorded rainfall amounts as high as 322.2 mm (12.7 inches), causing the main Bagmati River to rise 2.2 m (7 ft) above the danger level, according to experts.

However, there were signs of improvement on Sunday morning, with rain subsiding in many locations, according to Govinda Jha, a local weather forecaster. "There may be some isolated showers, but heavy rains are unlikely," he noted.

Weather officials in Kathmandu attributed the torrential rain to a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal, extending into parts of neighboring India near Nepal.

Climate scientists at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) expressed concerns about unplanned development exacerbating climate change risks in Nepal. "I’ve never seen flooding of this magnitude in Kathmandu before," said Arun Bhakta Shrestha, an environmental risk official at the center.

In a call to action, the center urged the government and urban planners to "urgently" invest in and enhance infrastructure, including underground stormwater and sewage systems, both engineered and nature-based. The impact of the heavy rains was worsened by inadequate drainage resulting from unplanned settlements, urbanization, construction on floodplains, insufficient water retention areas, and encroachments along the Bagmati River.

The level of the Koshi River in southeastern Nepal is reported to be decreasing, according to Ram Chandra Tiwari, the region’s top bureaucrat. The Koshi River, which typically causes severe flooding in India’s eastern state of Bihar almost every year, was previously flowing at nearly three times its normal level.