By A Staff Reporter, Kathmandu, Oct. 12: A flash flood in the Budhigandaki River early Sunday morning swept away bridges, damaged riverside settlements and infrastructure, and cut off access to several villages in Gorkha district.
The Nepali Army rescued 95 people from flood-affected areas in Chumnubri Rural Municipality as search and rescue operations continued.
The flood occurred at around 4:30 am after a landslide reportedly blocked a stream feeding the river system at Philim. The water suddenly broke through the obstruction, surging downstream with mud and debris and causing damage to settlements and infrastructure along the river.
According to the Nepali Army, rescue teams were mobilised by air and land to assess the damage and evacuate people from vulnerable areas. Six people stranded in a landslide-risk area in Jagat were airlifted to safety.
By 7:00 pm Sunday, 95 people had been rescued using four helicopters, including an MI-17, and ground-based rescue teams. Of those rescued, 17 were from Jagat, 22 from Yaru, 13 from Thulodhunga, three from Dobhan, two from Philim, 17 from Nyakphedi, 12 from Payu, three from Namrung, three from Deng and three from Dhauli.
The Army urged residents living along the riverbanks and in surrounding areas to move to safer locations at higher elevations. Search and rescue operations were continuing in coordination with other security agencies and concerned authorities.
Several bridges destroyed
The flash flood swept away a cantilever bridge at Sardibhir in Lokpa, Chumnubri Rural Municipality, cutting off access to the lower Chum area.
Laxmi Gurung, Vice-chairperson of Chumnubri Rural Municipality, said the bridge was swept away early Sunday, disrupting movement to and from several villages in wards 6 and 7.
“The flood swept away the cantilever bridge. There is now no route to the lower Chum area,” she said, adding that the crossing would have to be rebuilt from scratch using wooden ladders and ropes. The bridge was a vital crossing for local residents, and its destruction has left several villages in the area disconnected.
The flood also swept away suspension bridges connecting Nyakchet and Sirdibas, and Machhakhola and Kerauja. A motorable Bailey bridge at Soti linking wards 2 and 3 of Aarughat Rural Municipality was also destroyed, along with the bridge at Aarughat connecting Gorkha and Dhading districts.
Bailey bridge planned at Arughat
Meanwhile, preparations are under way to install a Bailey bridge after the flood swept away the motorable bridge connecting Arughat in Gorkha with Dhading. The Gorkha Road Project is arranging to bring Bailey bridge components from the Road Division Office in Hetauda.
“We are preparing to bring the materials from Hetauda. They are likely to arrive by tomorrow, and work will begin as soon as they reach the site,” said Binod Pun, chief of the office.
The Nepali Army has also deployed a team to the site to prepare for construction. Birodh Rijal, Battalion Chief of Rudradhwaj Battalion, said work would begin as soon as the materials arrived.“A team has already been deployed for assessment. Work will begin as soon as the materials arrive from Hetauda,” he said.
Flash flooding in Budhagandaki River swept away an estimated 35 to 40 houses in Jagat Bagar, Salleri and Gattikhola in Chumnubri Rural Municipality, Nima Lama, chairman of the Rural Municipality told The Rising Nepal over telephone.
People missing as rescue efforts intensify
As many as five people staying in a shed on the banks of the Ungilung river in Chumchet have been reported missing. Separately, four to five herders travelling from Sirdibas towards Chumling were also reported out of contact. The Nepali Army rescued six people by helicopter from Jagat, an area at risk of landslides. No deaths or injuries had been confirmed in the preliminary reports.
Search and rescue operations are continuing in the affected areas in coordination with other security agencies and relevant stakeholders.
According to Chief District Officer Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, the missing people include 65-year-old Sonam Lama and his 59-year-old wife, Mommo Ajilama, both from Chumchet, as well as Lakpa Thorma Lama, 66-year-old Som Bhuti Lama, Karma Lama and 21-year-old Ten Dorje Lama. They had been staying at a livestock shed in the Ungilung area of Chumnubri Rural Municipality-6.More than 100 head of livestock kept at the shed were also swept away by the landslide, Chief District Officer Mishra said.
Landslide suspected to have triggered flood
Preliminary assessments suggest that the flash flood originated in the Ungilung stream, a tributary of the Syar Khola, which flows into the Budhigandaki River.
Times Energy Pvt. Ltd. Managing Director Sushil Thapa visited the affected area by helicopter on Sunday morning. He said a landslide was believed to have blocked the small stream before the accumulated water suddenly broke through the obstruction, triggering the flood.
The suspected source lies along the left bank of the Syar Khola in Chumchet-6. The confluence of the Syar Khola and the Budhigandaki River is about five kilometres from Philim.
The flood also caused extensive damage to the 341 MW Budhigandaki Hydropower Project, a semi-reservoir-type scheme being developed by Times Energy Pvt. Ltd. The project's main camp area, buildings and construction equipment were swept away, resulting in substantial physical losses.
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