Three days of continuous rain transformed, on Saturday, September 29, the Bagmati River that runs through Kathmandu, the Nepalese capital, located at 1,355 meters above sea level, into a monster of mud, dragging tree trunks, electric masts, cars and everything else. guy. . The Kathmandu Valley is the region worst affected by the deadly floods that hit the ancient Himalayan kingdom. The city of almost a million inhabitants received half the annual average rainfall in just two days, more than 700 mm of rain. At least 73 people died in the valley.
The provisional toll at the national level stands at 193 Dead and more than thirty missing, Monday, September 30. More than 4,000 people have been rescued, but anger is growing against the government, criticized for the slowness of relief operations and the lack of equipment to deal with such a disaster. Prime Minister Khadga Prasad Sharma Olii was in the United States during ’79my United Nations General Assembly.
The raging waters also invaded the former royal capital, Patan, a medieval gem, a few kilometers from Kathmandu. The Bagmati River reached a height of 6.16 meters not far from Khokana, or 2.16 meters above the alert threshold. Residents had to jump from roof to roof to escape the rising water.
Anarchic urbanization
These torrential rains fell on soils already saturated by an abundant monsoon, 25% more intense than normal in the capital. “I have never seen flooding of this magnitude in Kathmandu,” said Arun Bhakta Shrestha, head of climate and environmental risks at the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (Icimod), a reference centre, located near Kathmandu. According to this expert, a low pressure system in the Bay of Bengal and the more northerly than usual position of the monsoon trough are the cause of the late and exceptionally intense rains at the end of September. The monsoon in Nepal normally lasts from mid-June to mid-September.
If the damage is so significant in the capital, it is due to uncontrolled and anarchic urbanization. Kathmandu has grown like a mushroom to host a constant flow of immigrants from the countryside for three decades, in search of employment, health services and education. The highly congested and earthquake-risk-exposed megacity continues to expand into the valley, increasing pressure on limited resources. Once idyllic, this valley, rich in exceptional heritage, has become an immense urban area, devouring agricultural and natural spaces.
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