Kathmandu, Oct 11 (PTI) Nepalese authorities on Sunday rescued more than 80 people, including nine foreign nationals, while five others remain missing after a flash flood in the Budhi Gandaki River swept away houses, bridges and also damaged hydropower projects in the Gorkha district.
The disaster struck roughly a month and a half after the devastating Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river floods on August 26.
Nepal is still recovering from the devastating flood along the mountainous Nepal-China border that left more than 1,400 people dead and thousands more missing.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said 82 people, including nine foreign nationals, have been rescued by four helicopters in Gorkha district. Five people, including two women, remain missing.
The floods and landslides have damaged two suspension bridges, two motorable bridges, three hydropower projects and 34 cow sheds, the NDRRMA said, adding that 45 houses were completely damaged while 27 houses suffered partial damage. Three vehicles were swept away, it said.
The authorities have mobilised over 700 security personnel, including 171 Nepal Army soldiers. They have delivered tents, blankets, mattresses, sleeping bags and kitchen sets to the affected areas.
The flood swept away houses in Salleri, Paiyuka and the riverbed at Jagat, as well as a suspension bridge connecting the ward, Ram Kumar Gurung, ward chair of Chumnubri Rural Municipality-3, was quoted as saying by the Kathmandu Post.
The flood may have been caused by the failure of a temporary blockage created by a landslide near Chumchet in Gorkha district, the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) said in a statement, citing preliminary accounts from Nepal’s authorities.
Floodwaters carried mud, sediment and debris downstream along the Budhi Gandaki corridor, prompting authorities to warn communities along the Budhi Gandaki, Trishuli and Narayani river systems as water levels fluctuated and risks increased.
The Gorkha district administration has urged people by the riverside to stay alert and shift to safe places, Netra Prasad Sharma, Assistant Chief District Officer of Gorkha District Administration Office, said.
According to administrative officer of Gorkha District Administration Office, Chuda Nidhi Tiwari, there was a kilometre-long landslide in Chumnubri and the landslide swept away five cow sheds.
Floodwaters swept away a construction camp and some equipment at the site of the 341-megawatt Budhi Gandaki hydropower project under construction in Salleri, Chumnubri-3.
The flood has swept away around three dozen houses in Chumnubri Rural Municipality of the district as per the preliminary reports, Sharma said.
Chumnubri Rural Municipality Deputy Chair Laxmi Gurung said the flood that hit the Budhi Gandaki this morning is reminiscent of the Bhotekoshi flood in Rasuwa, Online Khabar news portal reported.
“The Budhi Gandaki flood is reminiscent of the Bhotekoshi flood,” she said. “It has washed away dozens of houses. It is not possible to say the exact extent of the damage right now.”
The flood struck around 4 am, prompting locals to flee to safer places. Laxmi informed that significant damage was caused to the market in Chumanubri Rural Municipality-3 due to the floodwaters.
“The flood came early in the morning, and we could not even take out our belongings,” Ram Kumar said.
“Everyone fled as soon as we heard the flood was coming.” The full extent of the damage was not yet known, he said.
Residents by riverside settlements, including Chumling and Lokpa, fled their homes after hearing loud roaring sounds from the streams from around 4 am. Tourists staying at local hotels also fled, residents said.
Sherap Gurung, a resident of Lokpa, said the sound suggested that the water flow had repeatedly stopped and resumed.
“Because it was dark, we could not tell whether the stream had been blocked or a landslide had occurred. It had not rained either,” he said.
Authorities were using loudspeakers to warn people living along the river and urge them to move to safer locations.
Home Minister Sudan Gurung said the flood had also swept away the bridge linking Nyakchet and Philim bazaar in Chumnubri-3. With the river continuing to rise, helicopters had been deployed for rescue operations, relief distribution and evacuations, he said.
Also, tourists who were on their way to Manaslu trek have been stranded.
The Manaslu Conservation Area Project (MCAP) has said that the tourists were stranded at their accommodation on Saturday night after floods washed away the footpath and bridge.
The tourists are safely at their accommodation on Saturday, said Bhuwan Ojha, information officer of MCAP. PTI SBP AMS GSP GSP
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