Nepal floods, landslides leave 46 dead

Asian Economic News, July 19, 2004

KATHMANDU, July 12 Kyodo

Flooding caused by a week of monsoon rains have left 46 dead, forced tens of thousands villagers from their homes and damaged crops across Nepal, relief officials said Monday.

The rains also triggered landslides that caused deaths and damaged many roads in the mountain kingdom.

Swirling floodwaters swept away 11 persons in the Makawanpur district about 60 kilometers south of Kathmandu, while the Sarlahi district, further to the south, reported 10 deaths from landslides.

Two main roads linking the capital with cities in the south and west of the country were washed away and officials said it will be a few days before repairs can be completed.

Weather grounded most domestic flights across Nepal on Sunday, but in Kathmandu officials expressed hope the situation would improve in two days.

Floods are common in Nepal where monsoon rains bring waters pouring down from the mountainous Himalayan region, causing death and devastation every year.

But while the rest of the country is wet and inundated, the Doti district in far-western Nepal is facing a severe drought that has driven local farmers to temples to pray for rain, reports reaching Kathmandu from the region said.