Public transport services to and from Kathmandu have been suspended after floods and landslides blocked major highways across Nepal, as authorities issued red alerts for several areas ahead of widespread and intense rainfall expected through Saturday.
The Weather Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) has released a five-day special weather warning bulletin, asking people and relevant agencies to remain highly vigilant on Friday and Saturday. The bulletin warned of increasing rainfall and weather-related hazards across different parts of the country.
In Kathmandu, the Bagmati River has risen sharply and breached its embankments after more than 36 hours of continuous rain. The DHM has warned that light to heavy rainfall, along with weather-related disasters, may affect various parts of Nepal from Friday night until Tuesday.
Highway blockages caused by landslides and floods have disrupted travel between the capital and other parts of the country. Public transport operations were stopped from early Friday morning, leaving passengers stranded and making movement difficult on key routes.
Rajesh Kumar Yadav, a passenger stranded by the disruption, said vehicles could not move because the highways were blocked. He also pointed to flooding and landslides in several parts of Nepal and the rising Bagmati River in Kathmandu.
Police said public vehicles had been halted in Kathmandu after landslides obstructed traffic at multiple points along the Prithvi and BP highways. Light vehicles, however, continued to operate through the Pharping route.
Rain has persisted across the Kathmandu Valley since Thursday morning, pushing up water levels in rivers throughout the area. The Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office has advised residents against parking vehicles along river corridors.
Government agencies have asked residents to stay alert, with heavy rainfall forecast in different parts of Nepal between September 24 and 28.
Public vehicle operator Daniel Thakuri said operators had been following weather warnings for two days but stopped services because of the danger of landslides, blocked roads and passengers becoming stranded en route. He said operations would resume only when weather conditions became fully suitable.
The Weather Forecasting Division has asked the public and concerned agencies to take precautionary measures and remain prepared to reduce the impact of weather-related disasters.
Several hilly and Terai areas of Bagmati, Gandaki, Madhesh and Koshi provinces have been placed in the high-risk category under the red alert. Most districts in Sudurpaschim, Karnali and Lumbini provinces in western Nepal are also under alert, while parts of southern Madhesh have been included in the warning. No district was classified as green, or low risk, on Friday.
The rainfall threat is expected to intensify and expand on Saturday. Numerous hilly and mountainous districts in Sudurpaschim, Karnali, Lumbini, Gandaki and Bagmati provinces have been placed in the high-risk category for that day.
The Terai and hilly regions of western Nepal will remain under alert, although the risk is expected to decline in the eastern provinces of Koshi and Madhesh.
From Sunday, the weather system is forecast to move gradually westward, allowing conditions in eastern Nepal to improve. Most hilly and mountainous areas of Sudurpaschim, Karnali and Lumbini provinces, however, will continue to remain under alert.
The department’s warning map shows that parts of Bagmati and Madhesh provinces, along with other areas of central Nepal, will remain under regular monitoring. Districts in Koshi province are expected to move out of the warning category.
Weather conditions are expected to improve considerably across most of Nepal from Monday. Only some northwestern districts of Sudurpaschim province are likely to remain under alert, while the rest of the country is expected to leave the warning category. The forecast map for Tuesday indicates that no district is expected to remain under a weather warning.
With particularly heavy rainfall expected on Friday night and Saturday, the division has advised people living near rivers and in landslide-prone settlements to exercise extra caution.
Local administrations, security agencies and disaster management teams in red-alert areas have been directed to remain ready for emergency response and complete necessary preparedness measures.
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