Arughat (Gorkha), October 12
Black sludge left behind by the flood covers parts of Arughat Bazaar along the Budhi Gandaki River. Mud is piled up along the riverbank, logs lie scattered across the area, and the ground remains wet and muddy. The stench of the mud has yet to dissipate. Some people watch the damaged areas from a distance as security personnel remain deployed at the site.
Traffic has been disrupted after the flood washed away one span of the bridge connecting Arughat Bazaar with Dhadingbesi. The bridge had three spans and had remained accessible until recently.
The flood in the Budhi Gandaki River affected Arughat Bazaar and nearby settlements, washing away a drinking water pipeline along with part of the bridge. The disruption has affected local movement, daily business activities and the transportation of essential supplies.
The aftermath has left residents fearful and uncertain. The mud deposits and scattered logs along the riverbank indicate the force of the flood. Residents remain concerned that water levels could rise again, and people have been barred from entering high-risk areas.
Flood warning wakes residents from sleep
For Anju Sunar, who lives in the Bidhut Chowk area of Arughat, the morning of the flood was terrifying. She was asleep at home when women from the neighbourhood warned that a flood was approaching from upstream. She fled with her three young children to a safer location.
“While we were sleeping, women from the neighbourhood told us that a flood was coming from upstream and urged us to wake up and move to safety,” Sunar said. “We immediately took our young children and went uphill towards the tower, where we stayed.”
According to Sunar, the flood did not arrive all at once. Water levels had been fluctuating before a sudden surge of mud-laden water hit the area. From their refuge, residents watched as the market across the river and surrounding areas were inundated.
“We watched as the market across the river and all the surrounding areas were flooded right before our eyes. We stayed up on the hill,” she said.
Having experienced floods before, residents feared significant damage this time as well. Families who had fled their homes remained in safer locations for an extended period.
Sunar said people from the market had moved to safer areas, while security personnel prevented them from returning because the danger had not subsided.
“Whatever happened, we are relieved that there was no loss of human life. However, the property damage is extensive,” she said.
Seventy-year-old Lok Prasad Dhakal, a resident of the Arughat area, said he had heard that the river was blocked before the floodwaters broke through and caused damage. His house is about one kilometre uphill from the Budhi Gandaki riverbank.
According to Dhakal, the flood swept away several houses in the market and damaged the bridge. However, technical details about how the river was blocked, where the landslide occurred and how long water accumulated upstream have yet to be verified.
With one span of the bridge washed away, the usual route is no longer readily accessible. Dhakal said it might be possible to cross using a lower bridge, forcing residents to consider alternative routes.
Residents scramble to safety
Santosh Rajbhandari, who runs a business in Arughat Bazaar, said residents rushed to safer locations after receiving warnings about the flood.
According to him, news spread around 5–6 am that a landslide had occurred upstream and blocked the Budhi Gandaki River.
“People scrambled to escape after the news spread. We went towards Tariphant, in the Bhimsen Thapa Rural Municipality area. We managed to flee after receiving the information by phone,” Rajbhandari said.
He said people living near the river hurriedly left their homes and moved to higher ground. Reports indicated that settlements on the Dhading side had suffered greater damage. The upper areas and Shanti Bazaar on the Gorkha side were also affected.
News of missing people also circulated locally. Rajbhandari said he had heard that four or five people were missing, although the information had not been independently verified.
Arughat: A regional centre cut off
Arughat is more than a riverside marketplace. It serves as a commercial and transport hub connecting settlements in Gorkha and Dhading districts.
Uday Prasad Khanal of Arughat Rural Municipality-8 said people from Salyantar, Budhathum, Manbu, Baseri and other settlements in Dhading, as well as villages in Gorkha, regularly visit Arughat for shopping and other purposes.
“Arughat is a meeting point for around eight to 10 villages. That connection has now been severed,” Khanal said.
The market is also an important stop for travellers heading through Dhading towards the upper Manaslu region for trekking and other journeys. The damaged bridge has therefore disrupted not only infrastructure but also regular connectivity and trade between settlements in the two districts.
An accurate assessment of the number of affected households and the extent of property damage is still pending.
Residents await restoration of connectivity
Security personnel have been deployed along the riverbank following the flood. Teams from the Nepal Army have reached both sides of the river.
Preliminary surveys have reportedly been conducted to assess the bridge and determine whether a Bailey bridge or another alternative could restore access.
The Nepal Army is preparing to install a Bailey bridge, with the bridge components scheduled to be brought from the Road Division Office in Hetauda on Sunday.
However, the timeline for restoring the bridge, repairing the drinking water pipeline and determining the full extent of damage to affected settlements remains uncertain.
Although the water level in the Budhi Gandaki has receded, the fear, destruction and uncertainty left by the flood persist. Residents are awaiting a detailed damage assessment, the restoration of safe transport links and the reconstruction of affected settlements.
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