Floods in rivers, including the Mahakali, have displaced 900 families in Kanchanpur district. According to the Kanchanpur District Police Office, 3,293 members of 891 households were relocated to safer locations as of Monday morning.

Floods have submerged settlements in Dodhara Chandani Municipality, Bhimdatta Municipality, Bedkot Municipality, Beldandi Rural Municipality, Belauri Municipality and Punarbas Municipality.

Dodhara Chandani Municipality Mayor Kishor Limbu said the flood inundated Kutiakavar, Shanitole, Nishanitole, Baidifanta, Sundar Nagar, and Kanjbhoj, among other settlements in the municipality.

“Over 300 families have been displaced by the flood,” said Limbu. “The water level is increasing, and the settlements have been completely submerged.”

More than 100 families in Bhimdatta Municipality’s wards 11, 12, and 13 have been displaced after the Bhujela River flooded the settlement. The displaced families are taking shelter at ward offices and schools.

Police said several areas of Mahendranagar, the district headquarters, have also been flooded, displacing hundreds of families. The areas were flooded due to a lack of proper drainage in the market area.

Similarly, various areas of Beldandi have also been flooded after the Chaudhar River overflowed into the settlement. Floods in the Doda and Machheli rivers have submerged the riverside settlements.

Water level in Mahakali river was high on Monday. According to the police, the measurement taken on Monday morning showed that the flow had reached 255,000 cusecs. The Banbasa Bridge of Sharada Barrage has been closed to four-wheelers for the third consecutive day on Monday. Movement of large vehicles is prohibited after the water level crosses the 100,000 cusecs mark.

The Attariya-based Mahakali Basin Field Office under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said the station recorded 573 millimetres of rainfall in Dodhara Chandani of Kanchanpur in the last 24 hours, which is the highest recorded in the period across the country.