KATHMANDU: Heavy rain accompanied by hailstorms and strong winds caused significant damage to paddy crops in various parts of Ghodaghodi Municipality in Kailali on Wednesday morning. Farmers, who were preparing to harvest their crops, are now facing severe losses.

The storm caused paddy grains to fall and flattened standing crops in the fields. In several areas, harvested paddy left out to dry was soaked or washed away by the rainwater. Local farmer Rambharosa Chaudhary stated that the hailstorm and rain made it difficult to save the harvested crops. Similar reports of damage were shared by farmers Nisha Chaudhary and Manoj Chaudhary, whose harvested paddy was submerged in water. Ramu Budhathoki, a farmer from ward 8, noted that the rain arrived just as they were preparing to gather the ripened harvest, raising fears of further losses if the weather does not improve.

The adverse weather also damaged electrical infrastructure across the municipality. Lok Bikram Malla, head of the Pahalmanpur substation, reported that strong winds snapped power lines and damaged utility poles, leading to power outages. Repair work is currently underway to restore services.

Additionally, falling trees obstructed the East-West Highway and several internal roads. Deputy Superintendent of Police Prasanna Raj Chaudhary of the Sukhad Area Police Office confirmed that the fallen trees were cleared, and traffic flow on the highway has been restored.

Ghodaghodi Mayor Khadak Bahadur Rawat stated that the municipality is in the process of collecting detailed data on the damages sustained across various wards. According to the mayor, while the paddy crop suffered the most significant impact, some houses also sustained damage due to falling trees.