Incessant rainfall on October 3–4 caused significant damage to 13 hydropower projects, disrupting the electricity supply of 105.4 MW and inflicting losses worth Rs 100 million on irrigation projects across Nepal.
According to the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, landslides and floods in multiple rivers and streams caused losses estimated at Rs 100 million. Speaking at a press conference on Sunday, Minister Kulman Ghising reported that around 1,500 meters of embankments across the country were eroded.
Government data revealed that the Kankai River eroded about 200 meters of embankment along the lower right bank of the Postal Highway in Gaurigunj-2, Jhapa, submerging 114 houses in Hoklabari village and damaging around 500 hectares of paddy fields. In Kuwadi, Jhapa Rural Municipality-2, another 200 meters of embankment was washed away, causing losses of Rs 7.5 million.
Similarly, the Mechi River caused damages worth Rs 5 million to structures in different areas, while flooding along the Keshaliya River in Biratnagar displaced 75 households. In Siraha-17, damage worth Rs 2.5 million was reported after the Pateruwa embankment on the eastern bank of the Kamala River collapsed.
In Rautahat, about 60 meters of the Lalbakaiya River embankment was destroyed, inundating 100 hectares of paddy fields. Likewise, 120 meters of embankment in Boudimai village were damaged, submerging 200 hectares of farmland and several houses, with losses estimated at Rs 6 million. In Mahottari, the Rato River washed away embankments, causing damage worth Rs 80 million.
The Sunkoshi River also flooded the under-construction dam site of the Sunkoshi Marine Diversion Multipurpose Project.
Minister Ghising stated that the core irrigation systems remained largely protected due to timely preventive measures. “The gates of the head regulator, main canal, and branch canals were opened in time to divert floodwaters safely,” he said.
Meanwhile, 13 hydropower projects in Ilam were severely affected, halting production of 105.4 MW of electricity. A preliminary report from the Independent Power Producers’ Association Nepal (IPPAN) showed that five under-construction hydropower projects with a total capacity of 93 MW in Panchthar, Ilam, and Sindhupalchok districts were disrupted by the recent disasters.
