Floods, landslides killed at least 188 in Nepal in 2001
Floods, landslides killed at least 188 in Nepal in 2001
KATHMANDU (Agencies): At least 188 people have been killed in floods and landslides in different parts of Nepal so far this year, according to data made available on Thursday.
Nepalese newspapers reported on Thursday that nine Nepalese Hindu pilgrims were swept away by the swollen Kamala River, about 100 kilometers east of the capital, on Wednesday. They are presumed dead.
Similarly, the Nepali language daily Rajdhani reported on Thursday reported that five people died due to floods in far west Nepal on Wednesday.
The Nepalese Home Minister, Khum Bahadur Khadka, informed parliament on Wednesday evening that a total of 174 people had died in floods and landslips during the present monsoon.
He also said that floods affected about 1400 families and property worth 116 million Nepalese rupees (about 1.6 million US dollars) was destroyed by the floods and landslides.
The English language daily Kathmandu Post reported on Thursday that the people of Rupendehi district, about 250 kilometers south west of the capital, felt a sense of respite as waters in the flood hit district began receding Wednesday.
According to the newspaper, a dam constructed by India just 300 metres from the Nepal-India border without Nepal's approval had blocked the natural flow of water and inundated thousands of hectares of cultivated farmland in Nepal.
The dam built on the Danab River in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh is at least 20 feet high and could submerge Nepal's Lumbini, the birthplace of the Buddha, during the summer months, reports said.
Meanwhile, in Bangladesh, some 300,000 people have been affected by floods caused by monsoon rains and overflowing rivers in neighboring India, officials and reports said on Thursday.
The situation was likely to worsen further with downpours continuing to batter Bangladesh, officials said.
There was no official figure for people hit by the floods, but the Daily Star newspaper put the number at 300,000. No deaths have been reported.
Many of the victims are marooned in their flooded homes and shelters were expected to be set up Thursday, local officials in northeastern districts said.
The latest areas to be affected were Rangpur, Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj. The northeastern areas of Netrakona, Sylhet, Moulavibazar and Sunamganj are already suffering from the flooding.