With the onset of monsoon, which entered Koshi Province via Bay of Bengal on June 19 2026, has increased the incidence of natural disasters in the eastern Himalayan and Hilly districts of Nepal.
The landslides have washed away bridge, roads in many disasters affected districts which has made it difficult for ambulance, school bus and vehicles carrying medicines. This has subsequently impacted the patients, students.
The incidents of natural disaster have increased in Taplejung, Pachthar and Ilam after the onset of monsoon. Floods and landslides accompanied by heavy rains have damaged physical Infrastructures.
According to Alina Diyali, a representative of INSEC Taplejung landslides after the heavy rains has caused damages to two houses. Two houses located in Sidingwa Rural Municiplaity -1, Kalikhola have been damaged due to floods. As informed by Sablakhu Police Post, houses of Jivnath Baniya and Meharman Baniya of Kalikhola Nibhare. Taindra Prasad Chapagain, Ward Member of Kalikhola said house has been completely damaged due to the floods however no human lives have been impacted. War member Chapagain said Jivnath’s house was washed away by the floods and Meharman’s house was damaged that it was impossible to live there. As per the initial inspection, the loss is estimated at NPR 9,50,000 which includes physical infrastructure and other materials.
Padam Bahadur Tamang, Assistant Sub-Inspector at Sablakhu Polce Post since the floods have washed away the houses, the process of rescue and information collection on damages caused has started.
According to Iwara Jwegu Limbu, INSEC Panchthar Representative, 8 houses located in Vardanda, Falelung Rural Municipality -2 are at high risk of flood. The District Administration Office informed the landslides in Jorpokhari – Memang road has placed these houses under high vulnerability.
The road has been completely blocked since July 20 2026 due to the landslides involving rock, mud and silt which has put the nearby homes at risk. The road blockage has made it difficult for the ambulance to operate.
Vasudev Dahal, Chief District Officer informed the preparation for the rescue of the families at risk is ready. 8 houses located about 20 meters above the flood affected area are at risk. Amongst the houseowners at risk, 5 members of Gajendra Khatri, 3 members of Yadav Khatri, 6 members of Padam Bahadur Khatri, 4 members of Komalnath Khatri and 6 members of Purshottam Khatri.
According to Chief District Officer Dahal although the risk of landslides burying or sweeping away houses has increased, local residents were found to still be living in their homes. An initiative has been started to relocate them.
The houses of Dipak Kandel of Falelung Rural Municipality–2 and Man Kumar Kerung of Falelung–3 are also at risk.
A team led by Chief District Officer Basudev Dahal, including senior officials from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and other security agencies, conducted an on-site inspection of the affected area. Following the inspection, preparations have begun to coordinate with the local government and relocate families at risk to safer locations.
A team led by Chief District Officer Basudev Dahal, including senior officials from the Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and other security agencies, conducted an on-site inspection of the affected area. Following the inspection, preparations have begun to coordinate with the local government and relocate families at risk to safer locations.
The District Police Office, Panchthar, said the vehicles and shipments have been unable to operate on this route for the past one week due to damages caused to Rajduwali on the Ilam section of the Mechi Highway and to an alternative road.
According to Manoj Adhikari, INSEC Ilam Representative, continuous rainfall over the past few days has disrupted direct road from Ilam headquarters to Panchthar and Taplejung. The Rajduwali road section at Maikhola of Mechi Highway has been closed for the past 15 days, leading difficulties for residents of the Himalayan and Hilly districts of eastern Nepal.
Since Mid-July to Mid- August, there has been no reliable road route from Ilam to Jhapa. The alternative routes of the Kechana–Kanchanjunga Road and the Tilkeni–Simal Golai Road and the diversions built over Puwa Khola and Jogmai Khola have been washed away by floods. Patients from the eastern hill districts have suffered the most due to these disruptions.
Arjun Ghimire, an engineer at the Road Division Office in Ilam, said that although diversions have been built after floodwaters in Puwa Khola and Jogmai Khola receded, they have repeatedly been swept away whenever floods return, creating a major problem. Regarding the Rajduwali road section, Ghimire said that construction of protective walls is underway in the river area, but the road above continues to collapse due to landslides, making it unlikely that the highway will reopen immediately. After all roads, including the highway, were closed, patients traveling between Ilam and Jhapa have had to be carried across landslide-affected areas on stretchers. With transportation completely halted, there has been problem of shortages of daily essentials, including fuel and cooking gas in the district.
Krishna Poudyal, Chair of the Ilam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the consumer are having to pay higher prices even for the daily use goods due to the excessive transportation costs incurred.