Attachments
What happened, where and when?
The Department of Hydrology and Metrology of the Government of Nepal issued a special bulletin on weather forecasting on 25 September 2024 indicating that there will be heavy rainfall across the country exceeding water above danger level in Babai, West Rapti, and Karnali in the Western part of the country and Koshi in the east. In response, the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) activated its Simplified Early Action Protocol (sEAP) following a decision made during the advisory committee meeting (comprising NRCS and IFRC representatives) on 26 September. The SEAP was triggered to support communities living in the Babai and West Rapati river basins in the western part of the country. As part of early actions, NRCS volunteers informed local communities about the potential flooding and helped to prepare them for evacuation. Volunteers also arranged shelters at pre-identified evacuation sites, with relief items and transport vehicles were kept on standby. However, unexpected heavy rainfall was recorded in the Kathmandu Valley and nearby eastern districts which were different from those targeted through sEAP in the western part of the country. Hence, the sEAP was de-escalated on 28 September after being active for 48 hours.
From 26 September 2024, continuous three-day rainfall resulted in widespread flooding and landslides across the country in the districts east of Kathmandu. The heavy rains caused multiple rivers to exceed danger levels, leading to devastating floods that claimed at least 250 lives and caused extensive damage to infrastructure, including roads, bridges, public buildings, and health facilities. The floods also severely affected private homes in at least 50 districts, with the hardest-hit areas reported in Kavrepalanchok, Sindhuli, Lalitpur, Makwanpur, Ramechhap and Panchthar. Additionally, many travelers were stranded on the roads for more than 36 hours due to the flooding. In a tragic incident in Dhading District, a landslide buried at least three vehicles, resulting in the loss of 35 lives. Especially in Kathmandu Valley, many areas along the river sides were inundated and water receded after three days of the incident. As a result, many families residing nearby to the rivers were temporarily displaced. The rainfall recorded on 26 and 27 September has been identified as the heaviest ever recorded in Nepal's history. [1][2]
Links: [1] http://drrportal.gov.np/ [2] https://www.climatecentre.org/14546/nepal-floods-follow-most-intense-rainfall-for-more-than-half-a-century/
Scope and Scale
As of 5 November 2024, the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) conducted a detailed assessment in 6 of the most affected and targeted districts namely, Kavre Palanchowk, Sindhuli, Lalitpur, Makwanpur, Ramechhhap and Panchthar in October 2024. The teams on the ground have reported more than 5,300 households (approximately 26,500 people) across these districts have been affected. Due to the severe impact of the floods and landslides, the affected families still do not have access to basic services like water, transportation, communication and electricity services have not been restored in some of the remote areas. According to the NRCS District Chapters, most of the displaced families are staying in the rented houses, few of them are still living under tarpaulin or with their relatives.