Kanchanpur, a southwestern Tarai district of Sudurpaschim Province, has been severely affected by floods and inundations in the past 24 hours.

Four people reportedly died in flood-related incidents while around 900 families have been displaced in the district. Transportation along the East-West Highway was disrupted after the floods washed away a culvert at Suda in Bedkot Municipality on Monday.

According to the District Police Office in Kanchanpur, three teenage girls drowned in floodwaters in Ratokhali area in ward 5 of Punarbas Municipality on Monday. The deceased have been identified as Srijana Bogati, 15, Laxmi Bogati, 16, and Aarati Bogati, 16. All of them drowned on a flooded road while moving from one neighbourhood to another in the village. Police said a 12-year-old girl, who was accompanying them, managed to save herself.

Similarly, seven-month-old Sonu Dhanuk died as the floods inundated a house at Pahariya in ward 1 of Krishnapur Municipality on Sunday. Likewise, Dambar Chaudhary, 23, went missing after being swept away by the Chaudhar river at Baibaha in ward 3 of Beldandi Rural Municipality.

The continuous rain for the past two days inundated various settlements in the district. Floods in rivers, including the Mahakali, have displaced 900 families in the district. According to the Kanchanpur District Police Office, a total of 3,293 members of 891 households were relocated to safety as of Monday morning.

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

Kishor Limbu, mayor of Dodhara Chandani Municipality, 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 breached its banks and inundated villages. 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 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 at 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.

Two dead after being swept away by rivers

Two people from Kavrepalanchok and Bardiya districts died after being swept away by rivers.

A man died while crossing a river in Kavrepalanchok, police said. According to the Kavrepalanchok District Police Office, the deceased has been identified as Kamal BK of ward 1 of Roshi Rural Municipality. The man was in his 40s.

According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Raj Kumar Shrestha, three people, including Kamal, his wife, and his daughter, were returning home around 7pm on Sunday night when the Bhugdeu stream swept him away.

The body of the deceased was found about two kilometres downstream on the bank of the river at 8:30 am on Monday, according to Shrestha.

Similarly, the body of a woman washed away by a flooded river at the bordering Katarniaghat Wildlife Sanctuary of India was found near Fakalpur village in Bahraich district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh at around 1:40pm on Sunday.

According to the Armed Police Force, the deceased has been identified as Shanti Khadka from ward 5 of Madhuwan Municipality of Bardiya.

She went missing while crossing a river in the Indian sanctuary while picking mushrooms in the jungle. The police had requested the Indian border security force to locate her.

According to the police, the body has been taken to the District Hospital, Gulariya, for post-mortem.

Meanwhile, transportation along the Kalikot section of the Karnali highway and Karnali corridor has yet to resume. Multiple landslides three days ago blocked the Karnali highway and Karnali corridor. According to Chief District Officer Ganesh Nepali, the authorities have yet to clear the landslides at Rengilbhir along the Karnali corridor and Gaganekhola along the Karnali highway.