Sudurpaschim Region Faces Escalating Disaster Risks from Climate Change and Geological Factors

Kailali. On June 17, 2013, debris-laden floods in the Mahakali River devastated the Darchula district headquarters of Khalanga. 156 houses were completely destroyed, along with 32 government office buildings, and the belongings of 353 families were washed away. According to government data, the estimated damage at that time was Rs 325.6 million. The conclusion at the time was that such a disaster occurred due to a 'cloud burst' in the upper reaches of the Mahakali River.

Eight years later, on October 21, 2021, a similar flood occurred in the Seti River in Dhangadhma, Sigaas Rural Municipality-5, Baitadi. Approximately 150 bighas of arable land turned into riverbeds. Many houses and structures were damaged. In September of the same year, unseasonal rainfall affected the entire Sudurpaschim region. At that time, 12 people died in Doti, four in Baitadi, and two in Dadeldhura due to landslides after the rain. After landslides in Thalar, Bajhang, 23 people went missing, and after floods in Lamkichuha, Kailali, four people went missing.