Massive Floods in Nepal Prompt Urgent Rescue and Relief Efforts
A massive flood swept through Nepal’s northern Rasuwa district on Wednesday, damaging roads and power infrastructure as authorities worked to assess the full scale of destruction.
Videos shared by Nepal Police and others on social media showed torrents of muddy water tearing through mountain valleys in the Himalayan district bordering China. “We do not exactly know the extent of damage, but the flood is big, and it could have damaged many settlements,” Nepal Police spokesman Abi Narayan Kafle told AFP, adding that authorities had alerted riverside residents to relocate and deployed all available resources to the area.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah convened an emergency meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority to assess the situation. In a social media post, he said efforts were underway to coordinate necessary steps with medical teams, scouts, and the Red Cross.
The Nepal Army confirmed it had deployed helicopters and disaster response personnel to the affected region, saying in a statement that work to collect detailed damage assessments was ongoing.
The Nepal Electricity Authority reported that around 430 megawatts of production capacity, including from hydropower and solar facilities, had been damaged. The authority said the disaster had disrupted its production, transmission, and distribution systems, leading to power supply interruptions across affected areas. Several highways have also been closed as a result of the flooding.
Monsoon rains between June and September regularly trigger deadly floods and landslides across South Asia, and scientists say climate change is contributing to an increase in the frequency and intensity of such extreme weather events in the region.
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