Nepal Evaluates Flood Damage Amid Rising Death Toll of 192

Search and rescue teams in Nepal's capital sifted through the debris of destroyed homes on Monday, following the retreat of floodwaters from monsoon rains that claimed the lives of at least 192 people across the Himalayan nation. While deadly floods and landslides are typical in South Asia during the monsoon season from June to September, experts warn that climate change is exacerbating these natural disasters.

Entire neighbourhoods in Kathmandu were submerged following the heaviest rainfall in over two decades, temporarily isolating the capital from the rest of Nepal as landslides blocked highways.

“Our priority is search and rescue, especially for those stranded on highways,” said Home Ministry spokesman Rishi Ram Tiwari in an interview.

“Currently, 192 people have been reported dead, and another 31 are unaccounted for,” he added.

At least 35 of the fatalities occurred when a landslide sent earth crashing onto vehicles on a highway south of Kathmandu, according to Nepal Police spokesman Dan Bahadur Karki. Rescuers, equipped with knee-high rubber boots and shovels, worked to clear mud from the worst-affected riverside neighbourhoods around Kathmandu, many of which are unauthorised slum settlements.

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development, a Nepal-based think tank, noted that unplanned urban encroachment around the Bagmati River has exacerbated the disaster. Nepal's army reported that over 4,000 people had been rescued, utilising helicopters, motorboats, and rafts to evacuate stranded households.

Bulldozers were deployed to clear nearly two dozen sections of major highways leading into Kathmandu that had been blocked by debris. Merchants in Kathmandu expressed concern that damage to intercity roads had severely disrupted the supply of fresh fruits and vegetables into the capital. "The farmers have their produce ready, but with the highways blocked, all of it is stuck," said Binay Shrestha, an employee at one of the city's main produce markets.

Nepal's weather bureau reported record-breaking rainfall in the 24 hours leading up to Saturday morning, with preliminary data from 14 districts showing significant amounts. A monitoring station at Kathmandu airport recorded approximately 240 millimetres (9.4 inches) of rain, the highest total since 2002. The summer monsoon, which lasts from July to September, provides 70-80 percent of South Asia's annual rainfall and is crucial for agriculture and food production in a region that is home to around two billion people. However, these monsoon rains also bring widespread death and destruction in the form of floods and landslides.

Experts warn that climate change has increased both the frequency and intensity of these natural disasters. This year alone, more than 300 people have died in Nepal due to rain-related incidents.