Kathmandu, July 4 -- Last year, under a scorching September sun, Jupiter Ghimire, 30, took a few minutes off from his food delivery work in Qatar's oppressive heat to scroll through Facebook.

His feed was full of news of a devastating flood and landslides in Nepal. Suddenly, he froze: one news item mentioned that among the worst hit was Gotikhel, his home village in Lalitpur.

Panic gripped him as he frantically dialled home, but the phones were down. The news was all bad: floods had ravaged Kavre and Lalitpur, killing 217 people. Ghimire's heart sank as he saw familiar names and places.

Social media became both a lifeline and a source of torment, as video updates streamed in about the rising death toll. About 40 people were dead or mi...