140 dead in monsoon disasters in Nepal this year

Kathmandu, Nov 11 (IANS) As many as 140 people lost their lives in rain-induced disasters across Nepal during the monsoon that lasted 135 days this year, a government agency said on Tuesday.

In 1,454 incidents of disasters, 30 people were still missing, while 300 sustained injuries, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said in a report.

According to the report, the landslides accounted for the highest number of deaths, at 67, followed by floods, at 37, and lightning strikes, at 29, Xinhua news agency reported. A total of 5,995 families were affected by various disasters between the monsoon period from May 29 to October 10.

Meanwhile, an additional 120 people died, and 622 others were injured in other disasters, like fires and snakebites, during the period, the authority noted in the report.

At least 52 people had lost their lives in natural calamities over just three days in Nepal in October last month, an IANS report had cited as the country experienced incessant.

Besides human casualties, Nepal has also suffered infrastructure damage due to landslides and floods across the country.

According to the Independent Power Producers' Association, Nepal (IPPAN), a representative body of private-sector power developers, flooding and landslides affected 18 hydropower projects -- 13 operating and five under-construction projects affecting power generation.

The country, which is rich in hydropower potential, is also facing risks to this vital infrastructure due to climate change-related disasters in recent years.

According to the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, riverbank erosion, flooding, and inundation occurred in various areas due to the recent incessant rainfall, resulting in the erosion of nearly 1,500 metres of embankments along riverbanks and causing an estimated preliminary loss of around Rs 100 million.

Some irrigation projects were also inundated due to flooding, according to the Ministry.

--IANS

/as