Nepal has shut down schools for three days following severe landslides and floods caused by two days of heavy rain, leaving 151 people dead and 56 missing, according to officials on Sunday.
The floods paralyzed daily life in the Kathmandu valley, home to 4 million people, where 37 deaths were reported. The rain caused major disruption, with damaged roads, stalled traffic, and normal activity brought to a halt.
The Education Ministry announced that schools would close in the worst-hit areas to allow time for repairs. “We’ve asked authorities to keep schools closed for three days,” said ministry spokesperson Lakshmi Bhattarai.
Some areas in the capital saw nearly 13 inches of rain, causing the Bagmati River to rise more than 7 feet above the danger level. However, on Sunday morning, weather forecasters reported a break in the downpour, with only light showers expected.
Rescue teams were seen retrieving bodies from two buses swept away by a landslide. The disaster was blamed on a low-pressure system over the Bay of Bengal, affecting both Nepal and neighboring India.
Climate experts from the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) warned that unplanned urbanization and construction on floodplains worsened the impact of the floods. They urged the government to invest in better infrastructure, including underground drainage systems and nature-based solutions to prevent future disasters.
Meanwhile, water levels in the Koshi River, which frequently floods parts of India’s Bihar state, have started to fall, offering some relief to the southeastern region of Nepal.
