Monsoon risks in Gandaki Province with landslides posing primary threat to 70,000 residents
KATHMANDU: According to the 2024 Emergency Response Plan prepared by the District Administration Office, it is estimated that about 70,000 people will be affected by landslides and floods this monsoon season. The estimate covers the entire province, with a total of 15,969 households; in the Tanahun district, there will be approximately 7,000 people affected by this disaster.
According to the Chief District Officer and Chairman of the District Disaster Management Committee, Janardan Gautam, landslide incidents have been identified as the chief factor of risk this year for Tanahun. He said these projections are based on the analysis of scientific data, whereby it has been projected that Tanahun is more prone to landslides than other disasters.
Using information from the Ministry of Home Affairs from 2010 to 2020, the exposure to monsoon-related hazards in 2081 BS was estimated at around one million and 250,000.
District Coordinator District Disaster Management Committee Chief District Officer Gautam asserted that the District Disaster Management Committee is well prepared to handle disasters effectively. More specifically, the committee has listed four municipalities and six rural municipalities in Tanahun district as those areas that are at high risk from landslides.
Other hazards, apart from landslides, identified in the Emergency Response Plan are flooding, fires, epidemics, drought, road accidents, lightning, and storms. It is indeed indicated that out of a total of 85 wards in the District's 10 local governments, 48 are so very prone to landslides, thus the preparedness and response measures should be specially directed at them.