KATHMANDU: The monsoon has entered Nepal this year a fortnight earlier than the average date.
According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, monsoon flows over from the Bay of Bengal and is expected to remain active till September 30. As usual, monsoon-related incidents are expected to cause a huge loss of life and property this year.
Over the past decade (2015–2024), Nepal has recorded 8,418 monsoon-related disaster incidents. These events have resulted in 2,317 deaths and inflicted injuries to 2,649, while 419 individuals are missing.
In total, 56,705 people were directly affected, with 36,479 houses and 195 bridges damaged. A total of 3,532 landslide incidents were recorded during this, leaving 1,296 dead, 192 missing and 1,136 injured. A total of 17,236 families were affected, while 12,406 houses were damaged.
Lightning strikes occurred in 1,186 incidents, resulting in 385 deaths and 1,039 injuries. Similarly, 1,614 incidents of floods affected 32,997 families, leaving 539 dead, 226 missing and 182 injured.
Heavy rainfall during the same period left 97 dead, one missing person and 291 injured.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) under the Ministry of Home Affairs has estimated that 1,997,731 people from 457,145 households across the country will be affected by monsoon-related disasters this year. Lumbini Province is projected to bear the greatest impact, with 523,656 people likely to be affected, while Karnali Province is expected to experience the least impact, with an estimated 127,308 people affected.
Bagmati and Gandaki provinces are likely to see relatively lower impacts compared to other regions. “The likelihood of monsoon-related disasters is higher, but Bagmati and Gandaki are expected to be less affected,” said meteorologist Min Bahadur Aryal.
Last year, Nepal recorded 2,138 monsoon-related incidents that claimed 495 lives, while 66 people went missing and 522 were injured. Floods affected 2,228 families, damaged 2,635 houses and resulted in 91 deaths. Eighteen people are still missing in flood-related incidents.
Similarly, Landslides occurred in 943 locations, affecting 6,448 families. Such incidents damaged 5,703 houses and claimed 344 lives, while 48 are missing. Heavy rainfall caused 538 incidents, resulting in eight deaths, affecting 1,812 families, and damaging 232 houses. Likewise, lightning struck 258 locations, claiming 52 lives.
Over the past decade (2015–2024), Nepal has recorded 8,418 monsoon-related disaster incidents. These events have resulted in 2,317 deaths and inflicted injuries to 2,649, while 419 individuals are missing.
In total, 56,705 people were directly affected, with 36,479 houses and 195 bridges damaged. A total of 3,532 landslide incidents were recorded during this, leaving 1,296 dead, 192 missing and 1,136 injured. A total of 17,236 families were affected, while 12,406 houses were damaged.
Lightning strikes occurred in 1,186 incidents, resulting in 385 deaths and 1,039 injuries. Similarly, 1,614 incidents of floods affected 32,997 families, leaving 539 dead, 226 missing and 182 injured.
Heavy rainfall during the same period left 97 dead, one missing person and 291 injured.
