East, central Nepal receive welcome rains

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Mar. 21: Almost all parts of Koshi, Madhes, and Bagmati provinces experienced rainfall from early Wednesday. Madhes Province received first rainfall in seven months on Wednesday.

The pre-monsoon rainfall across three provinces of the country was caused by the western disturbance and low-pressure system formed in and around Bihar, combined with moisture supply from the Bay of Bengal. Highland areas in these provinces experienced snowfall, said Saroj Pudasaini, a senior meteorologist at the Meteorological Forecast Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.

According to Pudasaini, rainfall is expected to continue on Thursday and Friday in Gandaki, Madhes, and Bagmati provinces. In addition, Kathmandu Valley is forecast to receive rainfall on Saturday as well. “It is very common to have light to moderate rainfall more often during pre-monsoon season,” he informed. 

The rainfall on Wednesday in various parts of the country has provided some support in controlling forest fires in these three provinces, he added. Morang district experienced the highest number of forest fire incidents in the last week. Following that, Taplejung and Tehrathum districts have also experienced forest fire incidents. In the past week alone, there have been 264 forest fire incidents, resulting in the deaths of five individuals.

In the last 24 hours until 6 pm on Wednesday, Chure Mai station received the heaviest rainfall, measuring at 31.8 mm. Similarly, Sindhuli received 31 mm of rainfall, Lele station received 16.2 mm, and Makawanpur received 15.4 mm.

Meanwhile, our correspondent Rabindra Upreti from Bardibas reported that Bardibas has been experiencing continuous rainfall since Wednesday morning. The eagerly awaited precipitation has sparked hopes for the revitalization of agriculture, forestry, environment, health, and the replenishment of depleted water sources.

The Department of Forests has confirmed that this rainfall is indeed a blessing for the forests impacted by the drought. This year, the drought-affected forests will undergo a recovery due to this rainfall.

Forest assets worth millions of rupees under the Mahottari Division and the Sagarnath Forest Development Project have suffered damage due to the drought and ensuing forest fires that commenced in the first week of March.

Jaganath Prasad Jayasawal, Director of the Forest Division in Madhes, said that this year’s rainfall has not only mitigated the effects of the drought but also contributed to the preservation and enrichment of biodiversity.

Meanwhile, high areas in the mountainous districts including Taplejung and Dolakha received snowfall on Wednesday. 

According to Our Taplejung correspondent Chandra Pandak, Ghunsa, Phale and Olangchungola areas in Phaktanglung Rural Municipality received snowfall from Tuesday night.  

Meanwhile, Baburam Sharma, our correspondent from Dolakha reported that the mountainous regions such as Kalinchowk, situated at an elevation of 3,840 metres above sea level, started receiving snowfall on Wednesday morning.

The snowfall along with the cloudy sky for a long time has significantly increased the cold, affecting daily life, and has led to disruptions of transportation in the mountainous areas.

Hari Oli, operator of Hotel Sunpati in the Kuri area and Kalinchowk’s temple premises, informed that continuous snowfall has occurred since Wednesday morning. 

Despite the inconvenience faced by the residents of Kalinchowk due to the snowfall, tourists are enjoying themselves, said Ramesh Pakhrin, operator of Sangrila Hotel.

According to our correspondent Vijay Kumar Sah from Dhalkibar, almost all districts of Madhes Province received rainfall on Wednesday after about six months. The last time it rained was in July, during the second half of the rainy season.

Farmers here are pleased with the rains, as the precipitation has brought hope for the revival of their dried crops.

Umesh Mahato, an agricultural technician from Mithila Municipality, said that while this rainfall after a prolonged dry spell will be beneficial for all types of crops, it may also result in some loss. He added that vegetable crops will reap the most benefit, and seasonal fruits such as mangoes, jackfruits, and other fruits grown in the plains will also thrive. However, he cautioned that it could potentially cause damage to the wheat crop.

According to local farmers, this rainfall, occurring when crops were on the verge of drying up due to prolonged drought, has provided them with some relief. Prem Bahadur Karki, a farmer from Bahunmara in Mithila Municipality-11, said that this rain has indeed been a boon for farmers in areas where irrigation facilities are not available.

According to statistics, Madhes Province has a total of 508,508 hectares of arable land, with irrigation facilities reaching 414,756 hectares of land.