Another wave of landslides and heavy rain has killed around 30 people in Nepal, as the Himalayan nation continues to recover from August’s catastrophic floods that left 1,400 people dead and thousands missing.
More than 1,900 families have been affected since late last week, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. More than 240 homes have been damaged, while roads, buildings and bridges have been swept away, reports BBC.
Hundreds of trekkers on the Annapurna Circuit, a major contributor to Nepal’s economy, have been forced to cut short their journeys and seek safety.
Many have been airlifted by helicopter from the districts of Manang and Mustang. The trekking route normally takes up to three weeks to complete.
Communities in several parts of Nepal are also mourning their relatives.
Buti Tamang, speaking to BBC Nepali from a damp blue tent in Battar, a town north-west of Kathmandu, said, “We used to live in a hut, but now there is nothing. We have lost so many of our relatives.”
Another resident, Ramesh Ghale, said, “Now it is raining and the tent leaks, so we’ve been facing a difficult situation. We have nowhere to go.”
Several trekkers and guides said their journeys down the mountains had become treacherous, with some taking three to four days as they crossed collapsed roads and washed-away bridges.
Jake Stacy, a 21-year-old from Suffolk, became stranded with his guide in Yak Kharka in upper Manang after heavy snowfall last week. He decided not to continue towards the Thorang La pass, the highest point on the circuit.
After returning to base camp in Pokhara on Tuesday night, Stacy said, “We made our own paths on mountain slopes. It was quite steep and we were clambering because there was river below… It was very muddy and very wet.”
“Many trekkers were helicoptered out,” he added.
Australian trekker Andrew Graham and his guide, Prem KC, said they crossed more than 15 landslides after deciding to return from Manang village.
“A few of them were quite dangerous, the residual risks have grown now,” Graham said.
The pair became stranded after reaching Chame, which had been evacuated because of the risk of landslides. Graham said they spent a night in the jungle.
A massive landslide has partially blocked a river flowing through Chame, creating a temporary lake that has inundated homes and a key bridge. Authorities have been using excavators for the past three days to release the water, but locals told the BBC the efforts have so far had limited success.
Trekking guide Tse Ring Doma said she and her group had to cross 28 landslides. She said the mental strain was harder than the physical challenge because of the memory of last month’s devastating disaster.
“Even thunder would make us run and come out to see if anything was coming our way,” she said.
Her client, Norwegian trekker Ellen Wahlström, said visitors were fortunate because they might only have to leave some belongings behind, while local people risked losing their homes and land.
She also said authorities had been clearing many of the landslides “surprisingly fast”.
Despite severe damage to roads in Manang, including several washed-away bridges and disrupted communications in some areas, no deaths have been reported in the trekking region, Chief District Officer Mukti Prasad Khanal said.
However, four bodies have been recovered and 12 people remain missing after an avalanche near the base of Himlung Peak, close to the border with Tibet.
An official from the Annapurna Conservation Area Project said around 700 trekkers were still waiting in Pokhara to begin the Annapurna Circuit trek.
“We have been holding back all these people who want to go to the Annapurna Circuit trek, although we are under pressure from the trekking industry to announce the route open,” he said.
Indian visitors who regularly travel to the ancient Muktinath temple on Hindu pilgrimages have been advised to fly from Jomsom to Pokhara instead of travelling by road because the route has been cut off, he added.
Most of the old trekking trails along the Annapurna Circuit have remained unused in recent years following the expansion of roads, except in small sections of Manang and Mustang.
However, trekking operators said many visitors were now using the abandoned trails to return because the main roads have been washed away in parts of the circuit.
