Nepal Floods 2024, Causes and Impacts of Floods in Nepal

In a recent development in Southeast Asia, Nepal has been hit by rain-triggered massive floods impacting the capital city, Kathmandu. The floods have been accompanied by landslides, read this article for gaining knowledge on geographical reasons of floods in Nepal and impact on Bihar and India.

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In a recent development in Southeast Asia, Nepal has been hit by rain-triggered massive floods impacting the capital city, Kathmandu. The floods have been accompanied by landslides, claiming more lives. Nepal is India’s neighbor and impacts it as well. In this article, we will be studying the recent floods in Nepal, the geographical reasons of Nepal floods, and the impact of the floods in Nepal on India.

Nepal Floods 2024

As we talk of death tolls till evening of 30 September 2024, the Nepalian rescue authorities have confirmed recovery of 193 Dead Bodies and count of missing people stands out at 42 as per the authorities. Considering the seriousness of the situation Nepal government has launched rescue operation in 52 districts out of total 77 districts which includes teams from Nepal Army and Nepal Police amounting to 3000 people. Around 4000 people have been affected by these floods and currently most of them have been shifted to the Balkhu area on outskirts of Katmandu.

The floods have blocked Nepal’s National Highway including the Tribhuvan Highway, impacted the health infrastructure and Bagmati, the main river of Katmandu is flowing above the levels of danger. Floods and landslides caused by continuous rainfall over the past three days have damaged at least 20 hydropower plants, with a combined capacity of 1,100 MW, disrupting power supply in Kathmandu and other major cities.

Causes of Nepal Floods

On Saturday, September 28, Kathmandu experienced record-breaking rainfall of 323 millimeters, the highest in 54 years. The cause of this unprecedented rainfall was the movement of water vapor from the Bay of Bengal towards the northern region, creating low pressure and increasing the likelihood of rain.

Due to climate change, the monsoon season in Nepal has extended to 130-140 days in recent years, compared to the previous duration of around 100 days. It is noteworthy that Nepal receives 80% of its annual rainfall during the monsoon season.

In addition to natural causes, the rapid urbanization in the Kathmandu Valley has contributed to flooding. Unplanned settlements have disrupted the natural flow of water, making the flooding problems more common.

Impact On India and Bihar

Nepal has released 6.61 lakh cusecs of water from the Birpur Barrage, built on the Kosi River, which flows from Nepal to Bihar. Additionally, the Valmikinagar Barrage on the Gandak River released 5.62 lakh cusecs, the highest since 2003. In response, the state government has issued a high alert for 13 districts, and public movement near river areas has been halted to prevent any casualties.

Currently, the left bank embankment of the Gandak River in West Champaran has been damaged due to excessive water pressure, causing water to enter the Valmiki Tiger Reserve. Embankments are being monitored 24/7 to address any unforeseen circumstances. Furthermore, the executive engineer of the flood control division in Bagaha has been suspended for negligence and failure to coordinate with local authorities.

Indians who have been struck in Nepal Floods can contact the Indian Embassy in Nepal for assistance through the emergency numbers released by the embassy in Nepal and also mentioned below.

977-9851316807: [Emergency Helpline]

+977-9851107021: [Attache]

+977-9749833292: [ASO]

Previous Floods in Nepal

Nepal has experienced floods in Past years too which includes floods in 2012, 2019, 2020 and 2021 all these floods claimed lifes of 34, 78, 132 and 103 people respectively. The current floods, however, have resulted in the highest death toll of the 21st century for Nepal, with the numbers still rising as rescue operations continue.