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🇳🇵 Nepal /Disasters & Emergencies

Ignored safety rules drive up deadly accidents in Phewa Lake

From Kathmandu Post · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Phewa Lake in Nepal is experiencing a growing safety crisis, with eight people dying in the last fiscal year due to new recreational activities expanding faster than regulations.
  • Despite a recent safety notice and stricter rules issued by the District Administration Office, at least two more deaths have occurred, highlighting the lack of enforcement.
  • Authorities are struggling to balance tourism and recreation with the need for effective safety measures to prevent further tragedies on the popular lake.

Phewa Lake, a major tourist draw in Nepal, is grappling with a severe safety crisis as a surge in recreational activities outpaces regulatory oversight, leading to a string of fatal accidents. In the last fiscal year alone, eight individuals lost their lives on the lake, with recent incidents underscoring the persistent dangers.

Thapa paddled into the lake after 6 pm. Within less than an hour, the outing turned fatal. At around 6:40 pm, he fell into the water and disappeared.

Describes the circumstances of Amar Thapa's fatal paddleboarding incident.

On June 23, 19-year-old Amar Thapa died while stand-up paddleboarding, a sport gaining popularity among the youth. His body was recovered from a depth of 25 feet less than three hours after he disappeared. The lifeguard and owner of the paddleboard operation were subsequently charged with negligence, though later released on bail.

This tragedy followed several other deaths, including a car plunging into the lake, drownings during swimming, and another paddleboarding fatality. The escalating incidents prompted the District Administration Office to issue a safety notice on June 25, mandating registration, life jackets, insurance, adherence to operating hours, and weather monitoring for water sports operators. However, these directives have proven insufficient.

The deaths expose a growing safety crisis in one of Nepal’s most popular tourist destinations, where new recreational activities have expanded faster than regulations and enforcement mechanisms.

Highlights the core issue of safety regulations lagging behind the growth of recreational activities.

Even after the new rules were announced, two more individuals died in July. Rohit Kumar fell into the lake and could not be saved by rescue personnel, and Bir Bahadur Rai's body was found floating near the shore days later. Rescue teams from the Armed Police Force are stationed at a monitoring tower, but their efforts have not been enough to stem the tide of deaths, revealing a critical gap between the expansion of tourism activities and the implementation of robust safety measures.

But the directives have done little to prevent further deaths.

Indicates the ineffectiveness of the safety notice issued by the District Administration Office.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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