The government has declared 30 additional local levels as disaster crisis zones, bringing the total to 71 across 20 districts.

Previously, the government had designated 41 local levels from 11 districts as disaster crisis zones. The decision was made during a Council of Ministers meeting last Monday, in response to demands from various sectors, according to Dr. Dijan Bhattarai, spokesperson for the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (DRRMA).

The disaster crisis zone declaration, effective since September 27 for a period of three months, aims to streamline relief distribution, rehabilitation, and reconstruction efforts in a coordinated manner. The list of the affected local levels has been published in the Nepal Gazette.

The NDRRMA reported that 146 people have died so far, with 18 still missing due to the floods and landslides triggered by continuous rainfall on September 27-28. The financial loss caused by the disaster is estimated at around Rs 50 billion.