MAHENDRANAGAR: Continuous rainfall has affected normal life in the mid- and far-west regions, with the hilly areas witnessing landslides and the Tarai belt facing floods.

In Darchula, the flooded Mahakali River swept away three houses at Bangabagar, in Api municipality on Friday, while dozens of houses on the river banks face high risk of flooding. According to DSP Nainasingh Karki of the Darchula district police office, local Kailashpati Lower Secondary School and dozens of private houses near the river face flood risk in Khalanga.

“The floods also swept away construction materials kept to build embankment at Khalanga. In fact, the rising water level has inundated entire Khalanga, which had to suffer a huge damage from floods about two years ago,” said DSP Karki. Two years ago, the flooded Mahakali River had swept away around 150 houses and displaced 200-plus families in Khalanga. In view of the damage by the floods in the past, the government had recently started construction of embankment to secure the Khalanga bazaar.

But  flood on Friday has halted the construction, while the dramatic rise in water flow in the river has promoted the local authorities to mobilise security personnel in order to caution the people living on the river front in case of floods.

Meanwhile, increased water level in the Mahakali River has led to the disruption of vehicular movement over Sarada Bridge on Nepal-India border. According to Sub-inspector Rajendra Chand of the Area Police Office of Gaddachauki, the water flow in the river till this afternoon was measured at 240,880 cusec.

As the bridge is more than a century old, the Indian side stops vehicular movement over the bridge once the water flow crosses 100,000 cusec mark. Elsewhere, swollen rivers in Kanchanpur have inundated many places, including district headquarters Mahendranagar, and authorities have already told the people to remain alert.

While rain-triggered landslides have disrupted Kailali-Dadeldhura and Dadeldhura-Dipayal highways, a number of rural roads in Doti, Dadeldhura, Achham and Bajura have also been blocked. In Kailali, a number of settlements in Dhangadi’s Shivanagar, Geta, Lalbojhi, Patharaiya have been inundated.

In Bajura, hundreds of families in some 20 VDCs, including Badhu, Barhabisa, Kolti, Jagannath and Gudukhati are at a high landslide risk. A number of villages in Kuldevmandau, Brahmatola, Kailashmandu and Toli are facing flood risk from the local Budhiganga and Guigad Khola rivers.

Regarding the threat of floods and landslides, far-west regional administrator Saradraj Bista said rescue teams have been kept on standby in all districts here.

In districts like Banke and Bardia too, the swollen rivers have posed a threat to many a villages. While in Bardia, 110 houses in Gulariya municipality and Basgadhi and Kakaura VDCs have been inundated, Hirmaniya and Sangambasti of Banke are also inundated due to the flooded local rivers.

In Nepalgunj, rainwater has accumulated at a number of places — Gharbari Tole, Sahid Setu BK Chowk, Shantinagar, Bankegaun.