Government to Monitor Rivers, Issue Hourly Flood Alerts Amid Heavy Rainfall Warnings

Kathmandu. In view of the potential heavy rainfall and the risk of floods and landslides, the government will continuously monitor the condition of rivers and potential disasters, providing hourly updates to the public. With the possibility of heavy rainfall in most parts of the country on October 8, 9, and 10, the early warning system has been strengthened in preparation for disaster risk reduction and response. According to the Executive Chief of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, Dharmaraj Upreti, in coordination with the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology and the Flood Forecasting Division, the water level of rivers and the risk situation will be monitored in real-time. He informed that technical analysis will be done to determine when the potential flood will reach the danger level and what impact it may have, and the information will be updated every hour. Explaining the situation, Executive Chief Upreti said, 'We will update the early warning system hourly and monitor the situation. Coordination is underway with the Flood Forecasting Division to determine when a flood will reach the danger level and what impact it will have. We check the amount of rainfall in real-time. I request that the SMS messages received on citizens' mobile phones be taken seriously.' The authority is directly monitoring the possibility of a large storm system forming in the sea and its direction change. As the weather system can change rapidly, a 'Red Alert' has been issued considering the possibility of heavy snowfall in the high mountainous regions. With projections of moderate to heavy rainfall in the mid-hilly and lower coastal areas, tourists in high-risk mountainous and hilly areas have been urged to immediately move to safe locations. Similarly, travel agencies have been warned not to make new bookings and to be prepared for helicopter flights. The authority has stated that if the risk of disaster increases, vehicular movement on highways and roads may be completely prohibited. Preparations are being made to request passengers not to travel on Friday and Saturday unless absolutely necessary, and for transport entrepreneurs not to operate services. To address the potential risk of landslides, bulldozers have been kept on standby to immediately clear roads on the country's main highways. Farmers have been urged to take special precautions to protect harvested paddy and stored grains, as rainfall can cause significant damage to the agricultural sector. Separate instructions have already been issued through the Ministry of Agriculture in this regard. The authority has strictly warned the public not to risk their own lives by filming videos, making TikToks, or posting content on social media during floods. Upreti urged against the dangerous practice of entering rivers to collect driftwood or other materials brought by floods. Currently, security agencies across the country have been put on high alert, and preparations for real-time monitoring of weather conditions and response are being intensified through command posts involving the Chief District Officers (CDOs) of all 77 districts.