Flooding and inundation caused by incessant rainfall has claimed nine lives with four people missing in various parts of the country over the past three days, according to the Home Ministry.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said in a statement on Sunday that 42 houses have been destroyed over the past three days while 756 persons have been moved to safety. The authority estimates that around 90,000 people have been affected as floodwaters inundated around 4,500 houses.

In Syangja, a woman died and three others were injured when a landslide buried three houses at Ramdi in Galyang Municipality-1 on Sunday. Police identified the deceased as Dhana Maya Magar. According to Superintendent of Police Hobindra Bogati, the victims were rescued and sent to Palpa for treatment. One of the injured was in critical condition, he added. The landslide also damaged Ramdi Police Post, injuring a security official.

In Nawalparasi (East), transportation remains disrupted in the Gaindakot section of the East-West Highway for the past four days. According to the Area Police Office, Gaindakot, vehicular movement came to a halt after some vehicles were stuck in the mud deposited in the diversion in the Thumsi area. The diversion was built for a road upgrade along the Narayangadh-Butwal road.

“Efforts are on to resume transportation. But the continuous rainfall has hampered the work,” said Ramesh Drishti, an engineer at the Narayangadh-Butwal Road Project.

In Bajhang, around 300 houses at ward 5 of the Chhabis Pathibhera Rural Municipality are at high risk after multiple landslides struck settlements in the past few days.

“Landslides are still continuing. Twelve families have already left their houses. Nobody can sleep in their houses in the village when it rains. We villagers gather in an open space nearby when it starts raining heavily,” said Jhalak Dhami of Parimela. “We don’t know when the landslides will bury the whole settlement,” he added, urging the authorities to relocate the flood-hit people to a safer location.

According to the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, its Banganga weather station in Lumbini Province received the highest amount of rainfall (174.5 mm) on Sunday compared to other provinces in the country.

Officials at the department say Nawalparasi, Jhapa and Kapilvastu districts saw heavy rainfall on Sunday.

The department’s data show out of 235 weather stations across the country, 205 have reported rainfall. In the past 24 hours, 141 stations reported light rain (above 10 mm), 105 stations recorded moderate rain (above 25 mm), and 38 stations reported heavy rainfall (above 30 mm).

“This is a continuation of the rain caused by the monsoon trough. The more the trough goes north to the foothills of the Himalayas, the more it activates monsoon rain, and this pattern will last till Tuesday,” said Ram Prasad Awasthi, information officer at the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.

According to the latest prediction of the Meteorological Forecasting Division, on Monday and Tuesday, Province 1, Bagmati Province, Gandaki Province and a few places in Sudurpaschim will see heavy rainfall. Meanwhile, various parts of the country will witness light to moderate rains on Monday night.

“In the coming two days, the rainfall is likely to be more intense in the Tarai, mainly in the Mahabharata and the Chure ranges, and in the Gandaki Province,” said Awasthi.

The monsoon entered the country in the second week of June this year and immediately started wreaking havoc in various parts of the country.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, between June 14 and August 28, rain-related incidents have claimed 93 lives with 44 missing and completely damaged 776 individual houses.

Saraju Kumar Baidya, director general of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said there is a chance of the monsoon remaining active up to the second week of October. “The country will see moderate to heavy rains throughout the country for over a month. People in both the hills and the Tarai should remain on alert,” said Baidya.

Our district correspondents contributed reporting.