Heavy rain prompts night travel bans and evacuations across Nepal

In Taplejung, traffic on the Mechi Highway resumed on Friday evening after crews cleared a landslide in the Khoksekhol area of Pathibhara Yangwarak Rural Municipality, Road Division Office supervisor Nabin Upreti said. Even so, the District Administration Office has stopped vehicles from using the highway at night while heavy rainfall is forecast, a step Assistant Chief District Officer Yadav Bhattarai described as precautionary. Gulmi recorded 109.6 mm of rain at Bharshe and 109.2 mm at Ridi in 24 hours, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said. Police in the district reported a road blocked at Patikhola in Kaligandaki Rural Municipality, and the Badigad river, which enters Gulmi from Baglung, has risen by around two metres. Local governments there have kept schools shut since Wednesday, and night travel is restricted except for essential services. At the Koshi Barrage, gates were opened through Friday as the Saptakoshi kept rising after rain that began on Wednesday night. District police information officer Chandrabahadur Khadka said the flow stood at 198,220 cusecs at 10am with 25 gates open, climbed to 229,960 cusecs by 1pm when 30 gates were open, and reached 240,555 cusecs by 2pm, when the 31st gate was raised. The barrage has 56 gates in all, and a red warning light comes on whenever the flow passes 150,000 cusecs. In Kavrepalanchok, two mud-and-brick houses collapsed at Banjaragaun in Panauti Municipality-8 after continuous rain, and police recovered some of the belongings buried under the debris. In Kanchanpur, 14 families from flood-prone Paterakhalla in Dodhara Chandani Municipality-3 were moved to Jamuna Basic School along with food and clothing. Arghakhanchi has closed the Sandhikharka-Gorusinge road to all but essential and disaster-related vehicles from 6pm Friday to 6am Saturday because of repeated landslides. In Sankhuwasabha, water has begun spilling from the diversion tunnel of the 900MW Arun-3 hydropower project, still under construction at Faksinda in Makalu Rural Municipality-5, and has crossed a temporary dam, raising the risk to structures around the site. Snow has fallen at Samdo in Gorkha's Chumnubri Rural Municipality-1 for the first time this year, and trekkers' movement on the Manaslu trail has been restricted after heavy rain since Thursday. Snowfall with rain has also hit the high areas of Jajarkot, where herders are bringing livestock down from the pastures. With rain and snow continuing in the upper part of the district, Manang's district administration has told trekkers to stay out of high-altitude areas for three days starting Friday. Ramechhap wants residents off the roads unless the journey is necessary, between 5:30pm Friday and 5am Saturday. In Nawalparasi East, the Narayani river had passed 5.19 metres at the Devghat station by Friday afternoon, below the warning level of seven metres, while the flow at the Gandak Barrage reached 94,000 cusecs by 12:45pm; police have deployed personnel along the riverbanks.