Monsoon Havoc

As I write the incessant rain over the last few days has stopped at last and the clouds are parting in place to reveal patches of blue sky. Here in the city the Bagmati river is very high and traffic is disrupted due to damaged roads, but there is no evidence of the severe flooding and landslides that are affecting many areas of the country.
I do not travel outside the valley during the monsoon , since I hate the thought of being stuck in a vehicle when a big landslide covers the road or a bridge suddenly washes away. So many of the roads here snake around towering hills, with the road little more than a narrow ledge with a rock cliff on one side and a sheer drop on the other . Therefore it is not surprising that when a landslide crashes down the mountainside it sweeps away out sections of road .The tragedy is that, due to the spectacular mountainous terrain, many villages are built on the sides of the steep hills . This week  whole families have been swept to their deaths by landslides which have struck at night while they were sleeping.

remains of a house in the hills this week the morning after a landslide  

On a lighter note, tourists down south on the flat Terai bordering India gained some extra elephant rides for free when the safari elephants were used to rescue them from their flooded hotels .

Elephants being used to rescue tourists from the floods in Sauraha

The floods are the worst for 15 years and have killed 49 people so far, including 11 children with 17 missing and at least 13 injured. 305 houses are reported damaged so far but unfortunately these numbers are likely to rise . it sees as if just as the earthquake reconstruction is gathering pace, another natural disaster shakes the already fragile infrastructure here. I expected climate change to lead to unpredictable weather and here some areas of the country have had so little rainfall this month that they have been unable to plant their precious rice crops while other areas are being inundated.

footbridge swept away

A family leaving their  flooded home

Leading  precious buffaloes to safety

Many aid agencies are already on the scene but once again , Nepal 's development is on hold in these areas while everyone waits for the water to recede so repairs and rebuilding can start