Kathmandu [Nepal], September 25 (ANI): Public transport services have been suspended, with authorities issuing a red alert for parts of Nepal as a weather system is expected to bring widespread and intense rainfall through Saturday.
The Weather Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) has issued a five-day special weather warning bulletin, urging the public and concerned agencies to remain highly alert on Friday and Saturday as rainfall and weather-related hazards are expected to increase across various parts of the country.
In the capital Kathmandu, the Bagmati River has swollen and breached its embankments following incessant rainfall for over 36 hours. The DHM, issuing the special bulletin, has further warned that light to heavy rainfall and weather-related disasters are possible in different parts of the country from Friday night through Tuesday.
Since early Friday morning, public transport services to and from Kathmandu have been suspended after several highways were obstructed by landslides and floods following incessant rainfall across the country since Thursday.
People have been facing difficulties travelling as major highways connecting Kathmandu with different parts of the country have been disrupted.
“Because of the incessant rainfall, all the vehicles have remained stranded as the highways are blocked. Passengers have also been left stranded; there are widespread floods and landslides in parts of Nepal, the Bagmati (in Kathmandu) is also swelling up. Everyone is left stranded,” Rajesh Kumar Yadav, a stranded passenger, told ANI.
The police, in a notice, said public vehicles have been halted in Kathmandu after vehicular movement was disrupted by landslides at various locations along the Prithvi and BP highways. However, light vehicles are operating via the Pharping route.
Incessant rainfall has continued in the Kathmandu Valley since Thursday morning, causing water levels in rivers across the valley to rise. The Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office has urged the public not to park vehicles along river corridors.
Various government agencies have urged the public to remain alert, warning that heavy rainfall could occur in different parts of the country from September 24 to 28.
“We had been receiving alerts for two days and we abided by them. Today we could not move out of Kathmandu because of the possibility of landslides and we might get stranded midway, that’s why we have halted vehicular movement during the rainfall. We are constantly following up on the weather alerts and we will only operate after the weather permits in full fledge. We have ceased our operations as the roads are also blocked, let’s see,” Daniel Thakuri, one of the public vehicle operators, told ANI.
Nepal’s Weather Forecasting Division has urged the public and concerned agencies to take necessary precautions and remain prepared to reduce the risk of weather-related disasters. Various hilly and Terai areas of Bagmati, Gandaki, Madhesh, and Koshi provinces have been placed in the high-risk category, indicated by the red alert level.
Similarly, most districts in Sudurpaschim, Karnali, and Lumbini provinces in western Nepal have been placed under alert. Some areas of southern Madhesh have also been included in the warning. No district has been placed in the green, or low-risk, category on Friday.
The risk of rainfall is expected to become more intense and widespread on Saturday. A large number of hilly and mountainous districts in Sudurpaschim, Karnali, Lumbini, Gandaki, and Bagmati provinces have been placed in the high-risk category for the day.
The Terai and hilly areas of western Nepal will remain under alert, while the risk level is expected to decrease in Koshi and Madhesh provinces in the east.
From Sunday, the weather system is expected to gradually move westward, bringing improving weather conditions to eastern Nepal. However, most hilly and mountainous areas of Sudurpaschim, Karnali, and Lumbini provinces will remain under alert.
According to the warning map issued by the Department, parts of Bagmati and Madhesh provinces and other areas of central Nepal will remain under regular monitoring, while districts in Koshi province will come out of the warning category.
From Monday, weather conditions are expected to improve significantly across most parts of the country. Only some northwestern districts of Sudurpaschim province are expected to remain under alert, while the rest of the country is likely to come out of the warning category. The warning map issued for Tuesday indicates that all districts across the country are expected to be free of weather warnings.
As rainfall is expected to be particularly intense on Friday night and Saturday, the Division has urged people living along rivers and in landslide-prone settlements to exercise special caution.
Local administrations, security agencies, and disaster management teams in areas under the high-risk red alert have been instructed to remain on standby for emergency response and take necessary preparedness measures. (ANI)