Palpa, October 9, 2026 - Although several days of continuous rainfall have stopped, fear continues to grip landslide-affected settlements in Palpa district. The ground beneath houses has been swept away by landslides, cracks have appeared on roads and across settlements, and walls of some houses have developed fissures. While some residents fear that the ground may collapse or their houses may crumble, others are struggling with farmland washed away by floods. Although the rain has subsided, concerns about safe shelter, livelihoods and the future continue to disrupt daily life.
Continuous rainfall since October 8 (Ashoj 8) has triggered landslides, floods and ground fissures in various parts of Palpa. According to preliminary details submitted by the District Administration Office, Palpa, to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, 33 houses have been damaged, while 68 houses remain at risk from landslides and other disasters. Similarly, 10 animal sheds have been damaged, and another eight are at risk. A total of 90 people from 20 families living in vulnerable areas have been relocated to safer places.
The disaster has claimed five lives. Damage to houses, roads, bridges and agricultural production has left residents in several parts of the district facing humanitarian, social and economic hardships.
Families Have Returned Home, but the Fear Remains
For Min Bahadur Thapa of Sirukharka in Ribdikot Rural Municipality, the night of October 9 (Ashoj 9) became one of the most terrifying moments of his life. At around 1 a.m., he woke up after hearing a loud crashing sound coming from below his house. When he stepped outside, he saw a landslide descending from beneath the house.
As the landslide began pulling the house downhill, he hurriedly woke his wife and two children, who were fast asleep, and took them to a neighbour's house. After continuous rainfall put their home at risk, the family was forced to take shelter with relatives for several days.
The family returned home after the rain stopped. However, Thapa remains deeply worried because the ground beneath the house has been swept away by the landslide, and cracks have also appeared in the ground above it.
"Even though the rain has stopped, I am afraid to stay here. I cannot sleep peacefully at night. I am worried about where we should go now," Thapa said. "We built this house through hard work and by borrowing money from others. I do not know when a landslide might sweep it away."
Thapa's suffering reflects the situation faced by many landslide-affected families in Palpa. Although the rain has stopped, the danger remains in settlements where the ground is unstable. Staying elsewhere brings additional expenses, while remaining at home means living in constant fear of a possible landslide.
Fear of Losing a House Built Through Loans and Hard Work
The house of Thark Bahadur Saru in Kachal, Tinau Rural Municipality, is also at high risk from a landslide. After the only house he built through years of hard work became vulnerable, he spends his days looking at his home and the farmland swept away by the landslide. When evening falls, he has to take shelter at a neighbour's house.
"I have no reliable source of income. I still have not been able to repay the loan for the house I built through tremendous hardship. Now, the same house has become unfit to live in because of the landslide," Saru said. "Even though the rain has stopped, I do not know when the landslide might bring the house down."
Madhendra KC of Deugir in Ward No. 4 of Mathagadhi Rural Municipality is facing similar anxiety. Cracks have appeared on the road in front of his house, and whenever it starts raining, he fears that the house might collapse and feels compelled to stay awake throughout the night.
"When it does not rain, things seem fine. But when it rains, I worry that even my house might collapse," KC said.
The cracks appearing in houses and the surrounding ground have robbed residents of Deugir (Khalipokhara) Bazaar of their peace of mind. For them, rainfall is no longer merely a normal weather event; it has become a source of fear that they could lose their homes.
A 200-Metre Crack in Deugir Bazaar Puts 30 Families at Risk
A crack stretching approximately 200 metres has developed through the middle of Deugir Bazaar along the Bastari-Jhadewa-Dumkibas multi-province road in Ward No. 4 of Mathagadhi Rural Municipality. The cracks in the road and surrounding ground have placed the entire market area at high risk of a landslide.
According to preliminary information, approximately 30 households in the area are at risk. Families living south of the cracked road are particularly vulnerable. Cracks have appeared in the houses of residents including Balkrishna Neupane, Mahendra KC, Keshar Jung Shrestha and Arjun Shrestha. Some sections of the road have also subsided.
In an effort to reduce potential damage, local residents have placed plastic sheets and tarpaulins over the cracked sections to prevent rainwater from entering the ground through the fissures.
However, the reasons behind the cracks and the geological processes responsible for them have yet to be established. While residents remain fearful of a possible landslide, they are waiting for a technical assessment of the area.
Scientific Assessment Needed to Determine the Actual Level of Risk
After the settlement was identified as being at risk, a team comprising provincial assembly members, local representatives, the Chief District Officer and technical engineers conducted an on-site inspection of the Deugir area. Following the inspection, a decision was made to arrange a scientific assessment by geologists because the area appeared to be at high risk, Chief District Officer Bhawishwor Pandey said.
According to Tej Prasad Adhikari, an engineer at the Road Infrastructure Development Office, the area appeared dangerous during the preliminary inspection. However, the actual technical condition, including why the ground has cracked and the nature of the underlying geological processes, can only be established after a detailed geological study.
Until the geologists' assessment report is available, the operation of large and heavy vehicles has been restricted in the Deugir area because such vehicles could increase the risk, Mathagadhi Rural Municipality Chairperson Yam Bahadur Chidi said.
Ground fissures have appeared not only in Ward No. 4 but also in several locations in Ward No. 3 of Mathagadhi Rural Municipality. A crack approximately 75 metres long has developed in the Kaseni-Sarai-Bhaiskatta area, putting around 10 households at risk. Cracks have also appeared in the Sirkot-Dumirdanda settlement, according to Ward Chairperson Tej Bahadur Ghartimagar.
The emergence of ground fissures in several locations within the same rural municipality has heightened fear among residents. Since landslides and ground cracks have particularly affected areas where roads have been excavated, there is an increasing need for comprehensive technical risk assessments and safe settlement management.
Five People Killed in Landslides
Landslides triggered by four days of continuous rainfall claimed five lives in Palpa.
According to Bhim Lal Bhattarai, Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Palpa, three people died when a house was buried by a landslide in Kaseni-Bhaiskatta, Ward No. 3 of Mathagadhi Rural Municipality. The deceased were 75-year-old Lil Bahadur Ghartimagar, his 17-year-old daughter Dina Gharti, and 15-year-old Jharana Gharti, the daughter of their neighbour Motilal Gharti.
Similarly, 75-year-old Sher Bahadur Chidi of Rupse Rajauli in Ward No. 2 of Mathagadhi Rural Municipality and 59-year-old Krishnakumari Saru of Thimure Dhustung in Ward No. 6 of Ribdikot Rural Municipality also died in landslides.
These tragedies demonstrate the devastating human cost of disasters triggered by rainfall. Communities that have lost family members, homes and property are now grappling with grief and uncertainty.
Roads and Bridges Damaged, Rural Connectivity Disrupted
Floods and landslides triggered by continuous rainfall have caused extensive damage to rural roads and bridges across Palpa. The damage has disrupted local transportation and made it difficult for farmers to transport their agricultural products to markets.
Along the Bartung-Ramdi section of the Siddhartha Highway, at Dehereni in Chidipani, Ward No. 1 of Mathagadhi Rural Municipality, rainfall has eroded the ground beneath the road. Nearly half of the highway's width has subsided, creating difficulties for vehicle movement.
The road connecting Saljhandi in Rupandehi to Sundaredhunga in Rainadevi Chhahara has also been damaged by landslides. The road linking Mujhung and Mainadi from Ribdikot Rural Municipality's main road has sustained damage as well. Various rural roads connecting to Purbakhola Rural Municipality have also been affected, along with the road connecting the centre of Mathagadhi Rural Municipality to Khaireni in Rupandehi.
Disruptions to road connectivity have not only affected transportation in rural settlements but have also damaged the local economy. Farmers have been unable to transport milk, vegetables, chillies and other agricultural products to markets, resulting in financial losses.
According to Khimananda Pokharel, a leading farmer from Ribdikot, the closure of rural roads has prevented farmers from taking their produce to market. With chilli harvesting season underway, ripe red chillies are beginning to rot in the fields because farmers cannot harvest and transport them in time, chilli trader Janak Acharya said.
Bhagwati Darlami, a leading farmer from Satyawati in Tinau Rural Municipality, said that despite good agricultural production, road closures have prevented farmers from selling their produce.
Flooding in the Kaligandaki River Damages Bridges, Halting Traffic
Flooding in the Kaligandaki River has damaged both permanent and suspension bridges. The motorable bridge at Keladi in Ward No. 3 of Rampur Municipality has been the most severely affected, according to the Road Division Office, Palpa.
The bridge lies along the road connecting the East-West Highway through Bhimad in Tanahun and Rampur-Mityal-Arunkhola in Palpa. It connects Gandakidhik in Rampur, Palpa, with Sankhar in Ward No. 6 of Chapakot Municipality, Syangja.
According to Pabitra Mani Acharya, Acting Chief of the Road Division Office, Palpa, the floodwater flowed over the bridge, damaging two spans on the Palpa side. The bearings, bearing stoppers and railings of the first and second slabs were damaged. The joint connecting the first and second slabs shifted 15 centimetres eastward, while the joint connecting the second and third slabs shifted 22 centimetres in the same direction.
Following the damage to the bridge structure, traffic was suspended immediately to prevent potential accidents. Acharya said that another bridge over a river along the road connecting Rampur to Arunkhola in eastern Nawalparasi via Mityal had also been damaged. Traffic on that route has also been halted until an alternative arrangement is made.
Farmers Worried as Floods Wash Away Paddy Crops
The damage to agriculture has emerged as another major consequence of the rainfall-related disaster. Floods during the second week of Ashoj washed away paddy crops cultivated by farmers in Tinau, Mathagadhi, Bagnaskali, Tansen and Purbakhola, among other areas. According to preliminary estimates by the Agriculture Knowledge Centre, Palpa, more than 300 farmers have been affected.
Flooding in the Tinau, Tansen, Dhondre, Sipjar, Nayar and Bahakhok streams has damaged paddy fields. More than 50 per cent of the Madi Valley agricultural plain was inundated.
Local farmer Mohan Rana said the flood washed away paddy panicles from inundated fields, leaving the crops in an unrecoverable condition.
"I have seven ropanis of paddy fields beside the Tinau River, but the crops are no longer in a condition that can be harvested," he said.
According to local residents, inadequate drainage management causes areas such as the Madi Valley to experience flooding almost every year. Water from the Tinau River, which flows south through the Madi Valley, and the Tansen Khola, which descends from Tansen Bazaar towards the valley, has entered farmland and inundated cultivable land at several locations.
The situation highlights the need not only to address immediate flood damage but also to improve long-term disaster risk reduction, drainage infrastructure, and the management of rivers and streams.
Safe Shelter, Scientific Assessment and Long-Term Solutions Are Now Essential
The recent disaster in Palpa has clearly demonstrated that the end of rainfall does not necessarily mean the end of danger. Continuous monitoring is essential in settlements where the ground has cracked, roads have subsided and houses remain vulnerable to landslides, as further damage may occur even after the rain stops.
In particular, the affected areas of Deugir, Kaseni-Sarai-Bhaiskatta and Sirkot-Dumirdanda require prompt geological assessments, scientific risk mapping, safe accommodation for affected families and, where necessary, relocation and resettlement measures. Damaged roads and bridges should be reopened to traffic only after appropriate technical inspections confirm their safety.
Similarly, affected farmers need relief and support for agricultural recovery. Safe repairs to disrupted rural roads and effective early-warning systems and disaster preparedness measures are also essential in vulnerable settlements.
For families such as those of Min Bahadur Thapa, Thark Bahadur Saru and Mahendra KC, the most pressing question is no longer when the rain will stop, but where and how they can keep themselves and their children safe.
The rain has stopped, but the fear of landslides remains. For the affected families of Palpa, genuine relief will come when they can sleep peacefully in their homes, travel safely and earn a livelihood from the agricultural produce they have worked so hard to grow.
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