Authorities report that 56 people in India and 14 in Nepal have been killed by floods and landslides due to heavy rain and storms, with 11 people still missing, warning that more flash floods are possible.
India’s northern state of Uttar Pradesh recorded 66.5 mm of rain between September 25 and the morning of September 27, compared with a normal 7.6 mm for the period, Hrishikesh Bhaskar Yashod, the state’s relief commissioner, said on Sunday.
Reports say that in addition to the 56 deaths, 46 people have been injured and more than 1,000 houses have been damaged.
Nepali authorities warned of possible flash floods in 49 of the country’s 77 districts, with more than half facing high flood or flash-flood risks as water levels in major rivers and tributaries continued to rise.
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A spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, Shanti Mahat, said Rasuwa and Nuwakot, areas hit by last month’s deadly floods that killed more than 1,450 people and left thousands still missing, should remain “alert” but were not currently considered high-risk areas.
Power supply has been completely disrupted in the Manang, Mustang, Myagdi and Baglung districts, with authorities working to restore electricity, energy ministry officials said.
Water Resources and Energy Minister, Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, said flooding of the Rahuganga River damaged the structure and transmission-line towers of a 40-megawatt hydropower project.
India Central Water Commission said 30 river-monitoring stations across seven states indicated a “severe situation”.
Several major rivers, including the Ganga, Gandak, Kosi, Bagmati and Narmada, were above danger levels.
Nepal’s Communications Minister, Bikram Timilsinha, said floods and landslides also disrupted telecommunications in parts of Nepal after damage to optical fibres and power supplies.
Reuters
