Report Number: R1

REPORT

ON

DAMAGE AND LOSS OF LIFE DURNG RAINY

SEASON IN NEPAL

SUBMITTED BY:

SUBODH ACHARYA

SUDARSHAN SAPKOTA

SUDHIR SHAH

SUDIP ADHIKARI

SUDIP PATHAK

SUGAM SHRESTHA

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED SCIENCE AND

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, PULCHOWK CAMPUS

LALITPUR

FEBRUARY 2022
 Report Number: R1

REPORT

ON

DAMAGE AND LOSS OF LIFE DURNG RAINY

SEASON IN NEPAL

SUBMITTED BY: SUBMITTED TO:

SUBODH ACHARYA
Asst. Prof.
SUDARSHAN SAPKOTA
VIJAY KUMAR JHA
SUDHIR SHAH

SUDIP ADHIKARI

SUDIP PATHAK

SUGAM SHRESTHA

DEPARTMENT OF APPLIED SCIENCE AND

CHEMICAL ENGINEERING, PULCHOWK CAMPUS

LALITPUR

FEBRUARY 2022
 PREFACE

Every year during rainy season, landslides and floods on river and stream
results in huge loss of life and property in Nepal. This report, a part of educational
report, focuses on effects caused due to heavy rainfall. Problems and effects arising
in various sectors are discussed.

This report is advantageous to the government bodies, for proper planning, to

reduce the effects that may cause due to heavy rainfall.

Authors and Editors

Subodh Acharya

Sudarshan Sapkota

Sudhir Shah

Sudip Adhikari

Sudip Pathak

Sugam Shrestha

i
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

First and foremost, praises and thanks to the God, the almighty, for his
showers of blessings throughout our journey to complete this report
successfully.

We would like to express our deep and sincere gratitude to our

supervisor, Mr. Vijay Kumar Yadav, Head of English department, Pulchowk
Campus, Lalitpur, for giving us the opportunity to prepare this report and
providing invaluable guidance throughout this work. His dynamism, vision,
sincerity and motivation have deeply inspired us. He has taught us the
methodology to carry out the report and to present the report work as clearly as
possible. It was a great privilege and honor to work and study under his
guidance. We are extremely grateful for what he has offered us.

We would like to say thanks to our friends and colleagues, for their
constant encouragement. We express our special thanks to Mr.Krishna Kumar
Yadav, department of English for his genuine support throughout this report
writing work.

Finally, our thanks go to all who supported up to complete this report knowingly
or unknowingly.

ii
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

heading number rakhna parla

PREFACE ................................................................................................................................i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ........................................................................................................ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS........................................................................................................... iii
ABSTRACT............................................................................................................................ iv
1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 1
1.1 Monsoon In South Asia ................................................................................................... 2
1.2 Monsoon in Nepal........................................................................................................... 3
Himalayas A Climatic Barrier ........................................................................................... 4
Why floods and landslides batter Nepal every year? ..................................................... 4
Why are floods and landslides common in Nepal?......................................................... 5
DISCUSSION......................................................................................................................... 6
Housing sector ................................................................................................................ 6
Basement Flooding ......................................................................................................... 6
Basement Flooding ......................................................................................................... 7
Roof Deterioration .......................................................................................................... 7
Foundation Cracks .......................................................................................................... 7
Siding Damage ................................................................................................................ 7
Sewer Backup.................................................................................................................. 8
Sewer Backup.................................................................................................................. 8
Agriculture/business sector ............................................................................................ 9
Health Sector ................................................................................................................ 10
Livestock sector............................................................................................................. 10
Educational Sector ........................................................................................................ 11
RECOMMENDATION ......................................................................................................... 12
CONCLUSION..................................................................................................................... 14
RFERENCES ........................................................................................................................ 15

iii
 ABSTRACT

This report entitled to "Damage and loss of life during rainy season in Nepal"
describes the effects caused due to heavy rainfall. Heavy rainfall which is a natural
hazard resulting in an event of substantial extent causing significant physical
damage or destruction, loss of life or drastic change to the environment. Due to
diverse geographical coverage, Nepal is prone to various geological and hydro-
meteorological hazards. This paper tries to show the losses and damages induced
by heavy rainfall and analyze the trend and geographical distribution of rainfall in
Nepal. This study is based on the secondary data sources. Disaster events data were
collected from NSET and other government research papers, library etc. 26,665
events were reported during a 45 year and 43,868 people were died, 2,828 people
were missing due to flood. Rainfall amount is gradually increasing from the 1971
to 2000 but after 2000 the precipitation is increasing continuously. The data of
impacts caused by the extreme rainfall also reveal that the estimated annual
economic loss is increasing with the increasing frequency of rainfall. The number
of natural disasters (i.e. flooding, landslide) as well as the number of corresponding
casualties, injured and affected people, and economic loss is steadily on the rise.
Terai and Hilly districts are highly vulnerable than Mountain districts and Hill and
Terai region are most affected than Mountain region due different disaster in Nepal.
The Terai and some central hill districts are most vulnerable in terms of disasters
occurrences.

Key words: Precipitation, damages, losses, trend, environmental loss, distribution

iv
 1

INTRODUCTION

Nepal is a big, beautiful, diverse country, and it comes with a varying

climate. The southern parts of Nepal are extremely hot during the summer and the
daily temperature can rise up to 45 degrees Celsius. With the arrival of June there
are sunny and hot days in the country. The most comfortable weather is in the
mountains. In the central areas during the day it is about 84°F, and after sunset 64°F.
The summer monsoon brings a large amount of moisture. Level of precipitations in
the North is about 375 mm, in the center 340 mm and in the South from 45 mm to
130 mm.

The highest temperatures are recorded in August in Lumbini (South) 97°F

during the day and 6 at nights. In the Annapurna National Park in daylight 60°F and
50°F at night. In the area of Sagarmatha National Park in the afternoon it is about
37°F and 33°F at nights. Rainfalls are typical for the country it is 340 mm in the
center and 550 mm in north areas. In the South in Lumbini there are 4 days of rains
which bring 80 mm of precipitations, and in Chitwan 240 mm of precipitations falls
for 16 days.

Source- Rainy-Season-In-Nepal-Monsoon-By-Months.png (900×357) (rainyseason.info)

Monsoon season is the major rainy time of year in Nepal, which falls in
between mid–June and September. This is also summer time with wet period as
 2

well. During the Monsoon, it rains almost every day with occasional thunderstorms
in the evenings also. Practically, Monsoon in Nepal is a great season as it brings
heavy and long rainfalls, which is a boon for Nepalese agriculture and biodiversity.

paragrapgh bich space dherai bhayo ki??

The word monsoon is derived from Arabic word ‘Mausam’ meaning

‘season’. Mausam means a season in Nepali language also. This term was first used
in English in British India and neighboring countries to refer to the big seasonal
winds bringing heavy rainfall to the region. Monsoon Meteorology, defines it as a
seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation
patterns.
paragrapgh bich space dherai bhayo ki??

Monsoons are large–scale sea breezes that take place when the temperature
on land is significantly warmer (in summer) or cooler (in winter) than the
temperature of the ocean. Monsoons are found throughout the world. The summer
monsoon brings a humid climate and torrential rainfall to these areas.

Monsoon In South Asia

The summer and monsoons determine the climate for most of India and
Southeast Asia. The summer monsoon is associated with heavy rainfall. Monsoon
(in South Asia) is a system of winds, which is characterized by a seasonal reversal
of wind direction, first applied to the winds blowing over the Arabian Sea and Bay
of Bengal from the southwest for six months (April to September) and from the
northeast for remaining six months (October to March).

paragrapgh bich space dherai bhayo ki??

It is a great southwest monsoon sea breeze that carries a large mass of water
molecules blowing from a large body of water towards the hot dry land created due
to differences in the air pressure. The summer monsoons roar onto the subcontinent
from the southwest with the winds carrying moisture from the Indian Ocean and
bringing heavy rains from June to September.

The monsoon of South Asia is among several geographically distributed

 3

global monsoons. The monsoon affects the Indian subcontinent, where it is one of
the oldest and most anticipated weather phenomena and an economically important
pattern every year from June through September. However, it is partly understood
and infamously complicated to envisage even today. There are several theories that
have tried to explain its origin, process, strength, variability, distribution and
general notions, but still truly understanding and predicting are still in question. The
exclusive geographical features of the Indian subcontinent with associated
atmospheric, oceanic, and geophysical factors influence the behavior of the
monsoon.

Monsoon in Nepal

As Nepal lies within the Indian sub–continent geographical location on the

southern slopes of great Himalayas, this country has significant summer monsoon
season. Normally, Nepal receives an average of 105 days with around 80% of rains
in the monsoon from mid–June to September. The monsoon in Nepal originates
from the Bay of Bengal and moves along the southern flanks of the Himalayas. In
Nepal, the eastern part of the country receives more rainfall from monsoon
precipitation as it is nearer to Bay of Bengal. There is occasional rainfall during
other seasons too, which does not belong to the part of summer monsoon.
Seasons in Nepal: Nepal lies in the temperate zone, but its climate varies
dramatically due to the huge range in altitude across the country. Our country is
probably most famous for its altitude as it contains the highest mountain in the
world, Mount Everest (height 8,850). The most common dominant type of climate
for Nepal is temperate with dry winter and hot summer (Cwa) or mild temperate
climate under Köppen climate classification. In western world there are 4 seasons
but, Nepal has 6 seasons. Two additional seasons in Nepal are Rainy season and
Pre–winter season beside the normal summer, autumn, winter and spring. The
average annual rainfall of Nepal is 1,600 mm, but it varies by eco–climatic zones
with extremes, such as 3,345 mm in Pokhara and below 300 mm in Mustang. In an
average 1,300 mm of rain falls in Kathmandu valley every year. Winter rains are
more pronounced in the western hills.
 4

Himalayas A Climatic Barrier

The Himalayas act as a barrier to the cold winds blowing from Central Asia
in winter, and forms the northern boundary of the monsoon wind patterns. Winter
rains are more pronounced in the western hills. Actually, the high mountains of the
Himalayan Region are the successive growth of the hills in this region; climate and
land is both moderate. Because of gentle hill slopes, river basins, wide valleys they
receive enough rain and are most arable making Nepal and agricultural country.

Because of monsoon effects on agriculture, on flora and fauna and on the

climates of our country as well as other nearby countries like Bangladesh, Bhutan,
India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka it is one of the most anticipated, tracked, and studied
weather phenomena in Nepal also. It has a significant consequence on the overall
wellbeing with economic, social, and environmental positive effects for more than
one billion population of the region. During this time paddy is planted on arable
fields everywhere, thus rice is the staple food of Nepali people. Increase in
temperature and vents of erratic rainfall directly affect the agriculture and food
supply through their effects on crops. The monsoon rains spread attractiveness with
lush green vegetation far and wide everywhere.

Why floods and landslides batter Nepal every year?

Nepal is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world because of its
rugged topography and climatic conditions. It is ranked fourth in terms of
vulnerability to climate change impacts and 11th for earthquakes. According
to government reports, more than 80 per cent of the country’s total population is at
risk of some kind of natural disaster, putting Nepal among the top 20 most disaster-
prone countries in the world.

The country is susceptible to all sorts of disasters—man-made and natural disasters,

like floods, landslides, windstorms, hailstorms, earthquakes and Glacial Lake
Outburst Floods. However, water-induced disasters like landslides and floods,
which have become regular phenomena, continue to wreak havoc more than any
other disaster in the country. Loss of lives, property, livestock, and infrastructure in
 5

a calamity continue to amount in millions of rupees, but the efforts to minimize the
devastation and manage the risk of disasters have remained inadequate and
inefficient.

Why are floods and landslides common in Nepal?

Floods and landslides are the most common yet highly devastating disasters
in Nepal. Every year, the southern parts of the country are battered with monsoon
floods whereas the hilly districts are affected by landslides every year. Most of these
water-induced disasters occur during the monsoon season (June-September) which
receives 80 percent of the country’s total annual rainfall. Both natural and
anthropogenic activities are equally responsible for the frequent floods and
landslides in Nepal.

When the water level in Nepal’s over 6,000 rivers and creeks, flowing north
to south, swells up during the monsoon season, they wreak havoc in the downstream
communities of the plains. Extreme and incessant rainfall trigger massive landslides
in a comparatively weak topography of the hilly region.

Changes in the regular rainfall pattern, which has become severe and erratic
in the past few years, also give rise to extreme weather events like floods and
landslides. With rising population, man-made activities have gone up, which means
there is more encroachment of land and more deforestation in the Chure and Terai
range, which causes floods in the Terai. In the hills, deforestation, unplanned
settlements along slopes, haphazard road construction, and improper land use for
farming and human settlements lead to landslides.
 6

DISCUSSION

Rainfall doesn’t, itself, take life. Unplanned settlement or residential areas

built in geologically weak region and areas nearby the water bodies such as river
and stream, may get badly affected during rainy season which result in huge loss of
life and property. Various sectors such as housing, educational, industrial, health
and business, agriculture, livestock, etc. get devastatingly affected during monsoon
in Nepal.

Housing sector yo pachi ek line gap

The impact of heavy rain house led to considerable damage as it has the potential
to flood basements, ruin foundations and building materials, and contribute to mold
growth. The extent to which damage can occur depends on two factors: volume and
duration. Water damage to certain parts of the structure naturally becomes more
likely, depending on the materials involved in construction, the location of the
house and its general state of repair. It is important for homeowners to be aware of
the potential problems specifically associated with heavy rainfall.

House is made with jute stick and bamboo, house floor made from mud and the
roof of the house is tin sheet are more susceptible to the damage, such houses may
even collapse due to excessive impacts of floods.

tala aru sabai ma ek line gap

Basement Flooding
Once the soil is saturated by heavy rain, the basement may be compromised.
Hydrostatic pressure pushing inward forces soil water through cracks and gaps in
the concrete basement wall and/or upward through the basement floor, flooding the
basement. Mold growth as well as damaged electrical panels, appliances and
personal possessions stored in the basement are likely to happen.
 7

Figure1: Flood affected house

Source: Internet

Basement Flooding
Once the soil is saturated by heavy rain, the basement may be compromised.
Hydrostatic pressure pushing inward forces soil water through cracks and gaps in
the concrete basement wall and/or upward through the basement floor, flooding the
basement. Mold growth as well as damaged electrical panels, appliances and
personal possessions stored in the basement are likely to happen.

Roof Deterioration
Without properly installed gutters, rain get collected on roof this led to the breaking
down of roofing materials. In time this causes weak points along the surface of
home. Overtime, the water could potentially enter home and leaking into the upper
floors or attic.

Foundation Cracks
Just as the top of a home can be damaged by the rain, the lowest points of a home
can also be affected. A home is susceptible to cracking if the rainwater that falls
around a property is not properly routed away from the home.

Siding Damage
Heavy rains can also cause a problem in a home’s siding. It is common that after
several seasons of heavy rain, many homeowners resort to expensive siding
replacement. Generally, this is caused by improper installation of gutters. If not
 8

corrected, the original problem will remain with water entering between the siding
and the walls. If left uncorrected, this can also cause serious water damage or mold.

Sewer Backup
Too much rain can overload sewage system with too much water, which is of course
designed to remove unwanted substances from home. This can cause blockages,
overflowing and even backflows, which will deposit what you are trying to get rid
of right back where it was disposed of in the first place. Not only is dealing with
sewage incredibly unpleasant, but it is also a health hazard.

Sewer Backup
Too much rain can overload sewage system with too much water, which is of course
designed to remove unwanted substances from house. This can cause blockages,
overflowing and even backflows, which will deposit what you are trying to get rid
of right back where it was disposed of in the first place. Not only is dealing with
sewage incredibly unpleasant, but it is also a health hazard.

When houses get impacted by floods and people are forced to relocate to other
alternative areas while the remainder continued to stay within their home. For
increasing the flood water level respondents shifted from ground to higher place
inside the house temporarily.

Figure 2: People take place on the house roof

Source: Google Image
 9

Agriculture/business sector
Extreme cases of flooding can cause crops to become submerged in water resulting
in potentially devastating
losses. The foliage of
submerged plants will
quickly begin to die
because submerged leaves
are not able to exchange
atmospheric gases (mainly
Rains inflict 30 percent loss to paddy crops
carbon dioxide and
output in Chitwan
oxygen). More commonly,
producers will be faced with flooded or persistently saturated soil which has a
negative impact on root ability to absorb nutrients. If the soil stays completely
saturated for extended periods, root loss can occur. Root cells in saturated soils are
unable to exchange gases which can cause them to die. Root loss amounts can vary
depending on the length of time the soil is completely saturated. Total root loss
would result in plant death and total crop failure. Partial root loss would result in
lower plant performance and lower crop yields.

Shop keeping is one of the major parts of income source. During flood, people
bound to close their shop due to water logging in front of the shop. Sometimes,
water enters the shop and most of the products are damaged. Most of the ponds are
over flown by the flood water so that, the fish business is destroyed due to
insufficient fish in the pond. Severe economic losses happened for the fish
businessmen.

Excessively wet conditions can negatively affect crop production in other ways.
Abnormally high amounts of rain can leach nutrients, especially nitrogen, from the
soil. Nitrogen added to the soil in the form of granular fertilizer is especially
vulnerable to leaching. If this occurs, farmers either have to incur the additional cost
of reapplying fertilizer or experience the reduction in crop yield associated with
nutrient deficiency.

The main negative impact of the flood on the agriculture is sustainability of the
water in the crop land. Every crop has specific time duration to survive against water
logging, but when this duration is over then the production of crop gets affected
severely. It is well known that flood is a long-lasting type of disaster. Therefore, the
 10

duration of water logging becomes longer for any crop production. That is why
maximum cash crops are very easily damaged by any flood. However now a days,
flood comes without any notice or early signs. Therefore, it is difficult to protect
their cash crops from the flood. Not only the cash crops are affected by this negative
impact but also the vegetable gardens are affected for flood. Food crises for human
and cattle is one of the problematic issues during flood, which is created from these
sows of causes.

Flooded or wet conditions can prevent farmers from accessing their fields with
necessary equipment. Crop yields will fall dramatically if required crop care cannot
be provided. Herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides must all be sprayed at the correct
time to maximize crop productivity and yield. Even if it is possible to spray crops
later in the season after soil moisture reduces, the damage to crop yields will
likely be done. Also, wet conditions and warm temperatures prevalent associated
with summer flooding are perfect for fungal growth creating an even greater
demand for effective crop care. It is important for growers with flood damaged
crops to scout their fields for weed and disease problems so that a cost-benefit
analysis can be taken as soon as fields are accessible. The results of this analysis
will determine if corrective action is economically feasible.

Health Sector
Health facilities are the most typically harmed during the floods. As a result of the
floodwaters, all types of health centers are closed. Various water-borne infections
were prevalent during this time. The most common health concerns include
diarrhoea, cholera, jaundice, and skin diseases. Especially, children and aged
people are most suffered from these types of health-related problems. Primary
treatment sometime might not be possible due to lack of accessibility of basic health
facilities. Medicine facilities become a difficult service during any flood.

Livestock sector
Cow, duck, chicken, and goat are several types of livestock in Nepal. Most people
totally depend on the income from their cattle farm. During flood, the cattle and
other household animals suffer a lot of damage. the main problem was to collect
food for cattle, make a safe place for them to stay and move those cattle from one
place to another. Different water inherent disease for the animal is increased during
flood and it is difficult to manage the medicine. Sometime these diseases spread
 11

from one animal to others. Death rate is higher among the farm animal. The poultry
farms are severely affected during the flood. The daily production from these
poultry farms is severely reduced due to the attack of different life-threatening
disease of the hen as well as the fluctuating environment and temperature.

Educational Sector
The educational sector is the seriously affected during any flood. All educational
institutes are closed during flood period. All types of exams and classes are stopped.
The flood waters some time damages school furniture which has huge economic
losses. During flood, the educational institutes are used as a flood shelter as a result
all types of educational activities need to be closed. Just after the flood the
classrooms get unusable because of sleeper floor and broken furniture’s, therefore
it also takes time to start the educational activities. Sometime, the furniture of the
classroom is not able to use as those breaks. Therefore, huge amount of money is
needed to recover the loss. In many cases, the infrastructures of the institutes are
broken down.

Figure 3: Flood affected educational institution

Source: Google Image
 12

RECOMMENDATION

It is therefore appropriate in this chapter to highlight some policy consideration

which, if implemented could play an important role in flood risk management. The
following policy considerations are recommended: -

• Government and key stakeholders should engage communities for them to move
permanently to higher grounds as they have expressed a willingness to relocate. The
relocating should go with the provision of all the necessary socio amenities such as
schools, hospitals, infrastructure, water, and agriculture support for a period of three
years to enable the households to settle. Consideration should also be made to
introduce alternative livelihood strategies in the new area of settlement.

• There should be a deliberate policy to compel communities especially in rural

areas to build house using durable materials and away from the flood prone areas.

• The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives should through Extension Services

encourage Communities to increase area cultivated on the upland to enhance food
security and household level.

• The relevant authorities should delineate both the non-flood areas and flood areas.
The non-flood areas can serve as a temporary shelter for the settlements during
floods.

• Construction of dams should be considered to trap the excess water. This could
be used for irrigation.

• Government and key Stakeholders should engage the communities and local
authorities in making them aware of the flood risk in view of the climate variability.

• Community initiated mitigation measures should be promoted to build

community resilience.

• In the long term, community-based floods early warning system should be

developed.
 13

• Multi-sectoral approach to flood mitigation as opposed to single sector should be

promoted as there are inter-linkages in terms of flood impact on various aspects of
society.
 14

CONCLUSION

The flood and landslide in Nepal has been damaging a lot of properties and also the
lives of people. Unmanaged settlement and lack of adoption of preventive measures
for unexpected floods has been making the statistics more devastating each year.
As compared to the foreign countries Nepal is unable to control the damage reports
and statistics. Recently, the damage caused by Melamchi River and its tributaries
was also really devastating. About 300 people lose their lives each year and damage
of property worth 626 million NPR is recorded each year only due to the flood and
landslides.

Fig: Damages and losses by flood in percentage by province

The application of hydraulic model and GIS of flood plain analysis has been limited
in the developing countries like Nepal where the availability of geometric data of
river is also limited. The situation of river flooding in Nepal is also completely
different as there is much higher variations in river flows and the rivers are
completely unregulated. The use of satellite remote sensing technology will be
highly applicable in flood hazard and risk mapping , which will ultimately lead to
reduction of damages caused by these disasters i.e. mainly flood.
 15

RFERENCES

Hansson, k., Danielson, M. and Ekenberg, L. 2008. A Framework for Evaluation

of Flood Management Strategies. Journal, 86 (3):465-480.

A Global Report on Reducing Disaster Risk: A Challenge for Development

(2004), United Nations Development Programme, Bureau for Crisis Prevention
and Recovery, New York, USA.
https://kathmandupost.com/climate-environment/2019/09/05/why-floods-and-
landslides-batter-nepal-every-year
Monsoon In Nepal (risingnepaldaily.com)

Rainy Season In Nepal: Monsoon Months - RainySeason.info 2018

Rain effect: Adds more problems to an already problematic living - The Himalayan Times
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