Downpour lashes the Valley

KATHMANDU: The erratic but heavy rainfall from the last 24 hours hit the normal life in the Valley hard today, leaving low-lying areas completely waterlogged. As of 8:45 hours on Monday, Kathmadu recorded 99 mm rainfall — the highest ever rainfall this monsoon.

Vehicular movement was affected in office hour in the morning as the roads across the Valley, mainly in Chabahil, Jamal, Maitidevi, Naxal, Maitighar, Tripureshwor, Kalimati, Thapathali and Patan submerged in water. Motorcyclists and pedestrians had a tough time wading through the flooded roads.

In Ghattekulo, the swollen Bishnumati River flowed above the bridge, spilling floodwater all over the areas where some one hundred houses were almost submerged.

“I had never seen such a havoc before. We were frightened lest the flooded river washes our homes away. It was a quite unusual terror,” said DB Rai, a local at Ghattekulo.

In Teku, locals were seen busy in salvaging their valuable after the swollen Bagmati River changed its course and entered into the squatters’ settlement from various points.

In Anamnagar, the enraged Bishnumati swept away a motorcycle while the biker was crossing the bridge. However, the motorcyclist, along with the two wheeler, was rescued safe and sound.

The swollen Bagmati and Ichumati rivers also flowed through many residential areas in city centres, forcing people to wade across waist-deep pools on the roads. Hundreds of vehicles diverted to different parts of the inner cities after the incessant rain literally turned the long stretch of main roads into canals.

More than two hundred houses and huts have been submerged at Sallaghari, Katunje, Nikisera and Dadhikot in Bhaktapur the flooded Hanumante Khola. The flood has also destroyed the paddy in around one hundred ropanis of farmland.

According to Keshav Dash Shrestha, Senior Divisional Meteorologist at Meteorological Forecasting Division (MFD), there was heavy rainfall across the country, except for some parts in the far-western hilly districts.

“The full-fledged rainfall will continue for the next three or four days. The monsoon precipitation formed in the Low Pressure Turf over the Bay of Bengal came closer to foothills of the high Himalayas which triggered the rainfall,” Shrestha explained. The monsoon cloud was too weak to give out adequate rainfall from the past few weeks.

He also reasoned that the monsoon precipitation that was concentrated in the west Indian cities over the Bay of Bengal was now diverted to the east, triggering the showers in the country.

Despite the sluggish monsoon this summer, the rainfall is expected to bring smile to the face of farmers who have been desperately waiting for the same to plant paddy seedlings across the country, especially in the hilly region.

The farmers in suburb areas of Kathmandu, Lalitpur and Bhaktapur districts also began paddy plantation.

According to the statistics provided by MFD, Nagarkot recorded the highest rainfall of 104. 5 mm. Dhankuta recorded 78.8 mm rainfall while Dang recorded 42.8 mm, Dadeldhura 1.2 mm, Taplejung 48.2 mm, Okhaldhunga 44.4 mm, Bhairahawa 61.3 mm, Pokhara 80.7 mm, Nepalgunj 47.5 mm, Jumla 16.7 mm, Dhangadi 36.6 mm, Surkhet 6 mm and Jumla 6.9 mm of rainfall in the same period.