Rains, snow brought by Montha disrupt life across Nepal

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Oct. 31: The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) has said that the fragments of Cyclone Montha, which developed over the Bay of Bengal, are currently impacting the weather across Nepal, bringing rains and heavy snowfall in the high-altitude regions.

According to the department, moderate to heavy rainfall is forecast until Saturday due to its impact. There is a moderate risk of flash floods in small rivers flowing in all districts of Koshi and Madhes provinces.

There is also a high possibility of medium risk of flash floods in small rivers flowing through some districts of Bagmati and Lumbini provinces. There is a medium risk of flash floods in the small rivers flowing through Sindhuli, Ramechhap, Kavre, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Makawanpur, Chitwan of Bagmati Province and Nawalparasi-East, Nawalparasi-West, Rupandehi, Kapilvastu and surrounding districts of Lumbini Province, according to DHM.

The DHM also urged people to exercise caution as floods are expected to increase in the rivers of Koshi, Madhes and Bagmati provinces on Friday and Saturday, reaching near the alert level.

Due to the landslide and heavy rainfall, numerous major highways are experiencing closures and partial closures.

Meanwhile, our Taplejung correspondent Chandra Pandak reported that the persistent rain and thick snowfall in higher altitudes have led to a significant drop in temperature, affecting daily life in the district, including the district headquarters, Phungling Bazaar.

Rainfall has continued since Monday night and snowfall has been reported in areas above 3,500 metres. The worsening cold has started to disrupt the lives of people, particularly in the upper regions of the district.

In the Himalayan settlements of Faktanglung Rural Municipality, including Phale, Ghunsa, Olangchung Gola, and Yangma, cold conditions have become severe. According to Ghunsa local Pema Sherpa, continuous rain and snowfall close to the village have made the weather extremely cold, mostly affecting children and the elderly.

He said both domestic and foreign tourists visiting the Kanchenjunga Base Camp have also been affected by the rain and snowfall. Locals said that tourists heading towards the base camp have been stranded in Ghunsa due to continuous bad weather and heavy snow.

Continuous rainfall has also been recorded in Phungling, the district headquarters. Locals said that due to the cold weather, market activity has slowed down, and business has declined.

According to the Taplejung Field Office of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology in Dharan, 13.4 mm of rainfall was recorded as of Thursday morning.