Death toll rises to 61 in Nepal's rain-induced disaster, people struggle to return home

Mahottari [Nepal], October 6 (ANI): The rain has receded since Sunday morning, but left the devastation in the southern plains of Nepal which faced heavy downpour last week.
All across Nepal, at least 61 people have lost their lives in a total of 10 districts till Monday evening, according to the database of the Nepal Police.
Parts of the road, paddy fields and houses still remain submerged in water, disrupting the daily life of people living in the floodplains.
"From the paddies to all the basic essentials have been damaged (by the flood), and there are no basic facilities here. Everything is jammed here; all the buildings and infrastructures are submerged, and at this hour of crisis, no assistance has come in from the authorities. Everything that we owned now has submerged, there is damage everywhere," a flood victim from Mahottari district in the Southern plains of Nepal told ANI.
The major rivers flowing through the terai region, often referred to as the bread basket of the Himalayan Nation, face flooding in Ratu, Bighi and other rivers overflowing the embankments. Though the rainfall has stopped now, dozens of villages remain inundated, with people still waiting to enter their homes and assess the damage.
"All the houses are inundated by floodwater. The damages are yet to be ascertained, all the clothes are gone, and we cannot access it now because it's surrounded by water. The water is not receding as there is no proper drainage facility," another flood victim from Jaleshwor told ANI.
The southern plains of Nepal are affected annually by floods and inundation, as it lacks a proper drainage system for the passage of rainwater, as well as the geographical disadvantage when it comes to the monsoon. The rainfall that occurs in the high-laying areas flows downstream towards the lowlands, inundating a vast area before it reaches India.
Following the devastation, the local authorities have now sheltered the displaced in community holdings.
"Those families who have been displaced (due to disaster) are kept at safe areas in coordination with the security agencies, local bodies and the administration. A few of them have returned to their home as the water is slowly receding. But still, some are in the community holdings provided by the embankment outburst. The local bodies have been coordinating the food and drinking water for those displaced. In case of need, the assistance will be provided to them in coordination with the disaster management committee," Narayan Prasad Risal, the senior district officer, told ANI.
Nepal this year recorded the highest toll with 37 deaths in Ilam of Koshi province. In Panchthar, eight people lost their lives, while Udayapur reported three fatalities. Khotang recorded two deaths, and Sunsari one. Rautahat confirmed three deaths, while Morang, Mahottari, Sindhupalchok, and Sindhuli each reported one fatality.
Rescue teams from the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police have been mobilised in flood and landslide-hit areas. Infrastructure has also suffered, with roads, bridges, electricity, and telecommunications networks damaged. Some blocked roads have now reopened as clearance work progresses.
The latest round of disasters in the Himalayan nation is attributed to the influence of the moisture-laden monsoon winds from the Bay of Bengal, which triggered widespread rain.
With the new death toll, Nepal to date has recorded a total of 285 deaths in various disaster incidents across Nepal since April 14, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).
In addition, 27 individuals remain missing, the Authority stated. Spokesperson Shanti Mahat said that disaster events reported today alone have claimed 44 lives, with five people reported missing.
The highest number of casualties was recorded in Ilam, where 37 people died in landslides. Overall, 50 districts have been affected by recent disasters.
The NDRRMA report shows that since April 14, snake bites have accounted for the highest number of deaths at 86, followed by 46 deaths due to landslides and 45 from lightning strikes.
Other causes of fatalities include floods (30), heavy rainfall (6), fires (23), storms (8), animal attacks (22), and additional landslides (19). Among the missing, 23 people disappeared in floods, three in landslides, and one due to an animal attack.
In total, 4,065 disaster incidents have been recorded during the period, leaving 1,072 people injured. As many as 7,211 families have been affected, as per the authority. (ANI)