Nepal: National Disaster Authority holds rescue and relief drill as county expects above-average monsoon rainfall

Lalitpur [Nepal], June 8 (ANI): With above-average monsoon rainfall expected this year, the National Disaster Authority of Nepal, in coordination with various agencies held a rescue and relief drill on Friday at Nagdaha on the outskirts of Lalitpur District started preparing for the possible incidents of flooding and inundation.
The subordinate agencies under the Ministry of Home Affairs have started preparing for the possible incidents of flooding, inundation and other water-borne as well as firing incidents.
According to the Meteorological Forecasting Division, this year's monsoon will enter Nepal on June 13.
Ahead of the formal activation of the monsoon, the Lalitpur District Disaster Management Committee, Rajdal Battalion of Nepal Army, District Administration Office, Lalitpur, Nepal Red Cross and other bodies held a drill titled "Monsoon 4".
The disaster response drill also demonstrated rescue works carried out in case of possible disasters during the summer and rainy seasons.
Kanchan Basent Karki, an official from the Nepal Red Cross, Lalitpur, said these drills enhance the speed of the rescue during real-time disaster rescue efforts,
"This kind of drills indeed helps a lot at the time of disaster. It enhances the speed of the rescue during real-time disaster rescue efforts. As a part of the drill first-aid and primary medical assistance was given to the supposed victims, at times we are provided with the training but we don't take it into practice and during the situations of disaster we cannot work on it," Karki told ANI.
Karki further recalled that right before the 2015 earthquake, they performed an earthquake simulation and weeks later they encountered the disaster in real time.
"This gives the scenario that we can get into action at times of need if we continue to practice and prepare for the disasters," the official told ANI.
Over time, the government has estimated that as many as 1.8 million people could be affected by rain-related incidents during the season.
According to a statement by the 28th Session of the South Asian Climate Outlook Forum released on April 29, above-normal rainfall is most likely during the monsoon season over most parts of South Asia except some areas over northern, eastern and northeastern parts of the region, where below normal rainfall is most likely.
Landslides triggered by heavy rains in Nepal cause tremendous damage to life, property, infrastructure and environment.
In Tarai, tens of thousands of people are affected by floods every year. In the hills, landslides are the main natural hazards occurring very frequently, mostly during monsoon.
The normal monsoon onset and withdrawal dates are June 13 and October 2 respectively. Last year, the monsoon entered eastern Nepal on June 14 and withdrew from eastern Nepal on October 15, delayed by thirteen days.
This year, according to South Asian meteorologists, there is a strong consensus among the experts that La Nina conditions are likely to develop over the equatorial Pacific during the second half of the southwest monsoon season.
It is also recognized that the La Nina conditions are generally associated with the normal to above normal southwest monsoon rainfall over most parts of South Asia.
El Nino and La Nina are two opposing climate patterns that break these normal conditions. Global temperatures typically increase during an El Nino episode and fall during La Nina. El Nino means warmer water spreads further and stays closer to the surface. This releases more heat into the atmosphere, creating wetter and warmer air. (ANI)