Following the devastating floods along the Budhigandaki river that swept away more than 200 homes in Gorkha, hundreds of displaced villagers are desperately seeking shelter. The raging torrent of mud and rocks, presumed to be triggered by landslides, washed away key motorable roads and sections of the famous Manaslu trekking trail, cutting off human movement and leaving settlements across northern Gorkha isolated.
Local people’s representatives said that rescue operations, medical evacuations and the distribution of emergency relief supplies now depend entirely on air support. While displaced families grapple with anxiety over their resettlement, blocked transport corridors have choked off daily supply lines, creating an immediate humanitarian crisis in the rugged mountain terrain.
The disaster struck early Sunday morning when a massive landslide fell into the Ungilung stream, a tributary of the Syarkhola stream located between Lokpa and Chumling in Chumnubri-6. The resulting debris dammed the stream briefly before breaching, causing the Syarkhola stream to burst its banks and empty into the Budhigandhi river, devastating riverside settlements all the way down to Aarughat.
According to figures released by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the floods damaged a total of 204 homes across the region—43 in Chumnubri, 39 in Dharche, 64 in Aarughat, and 58 in Tripurasundari Rural Municipality of neighbouring Dhading district. At least five individuals who were tending cattle near the landslide origin site remain missing.
Local residents in higher elevation settlements managed to avert a larger loss of human life by quickly warning downstream communities via phone calls and social media posts shortly after the landslide occurred. Official government alert text messages arrived only an hour after the floodwaters had already surged down the valley.
With traditional footpaths destroyed and river crossings washed away, survival has become a daily struggle. In Soti, located in Aarughat Rural Municipality-3, floodwaters inundated 20 households with thick sludge and mud, forcing residents to flee.
“Our home is right on the banks of the Budhigandhi, and the flood dumped heavy mud inside our house,” said Tek Bahadur Adhikari, ward chief of Aarughat-3. “The 2015 earthquake had already shaken the foundations of this settlement, and Sunday’s flood shook the structures again. How can anyone sleep in such a home?”
Many displaced families spent nights taking refuge with relatives, huddled on neighbors’ open verandas, or sheltering inside farm sheds and local churches.
Drinking water and relief are the immediate necessities, the displaced residents say.
“The flood washed away the pipeline that brought drinking water from Manbu across the Budhigandhi,” said Sapana Gurung, a resident of Soti Bazaar whose home was destroyed. “Helicopters keep hovering in the sky above us, but we haven’t been able to get clean drinking water, nor have we received relief.”
For Sunmaya Gurung of Jagat in Chumnubri-3, the terror of witnessing the river's fury made returning home impossible. Gathering her children, she walked half an hour through the dark to Bhaluwan to seek shelter.
“I have small children with me, and after seeing that massive flood in the morning, I simply couldn’t sleep next to the river,” she said. “It is not like sleeping in your own home, and the cold is increasing rapidly. Almost everyone from our village left their houses to sleep up on higher ground.”
The disaster has completely severed transport arteries. The flood destroyed two motorable concrete bridges, two suspension bridges, one bailey bridge, and a crucial cantilever bridge hanging off the cliffside between Aarughat and Sirdibas.
The destruction of the cantilever bridge abruptly shut down all ground movement to Jagat and Salleri in Chumnubri. The path connecting Jagat to Salleri—normally a 30-minute walk—has been wiped out, while footpaths leading up to the local government seat in Philim are completely blocked.
“There is no path left to walk out of the village,” said Ganesh Karki, a local resident of Jagat. “The lower route was carried away by the river, and there is no upper path to climb. The Budhigandhi is now flowing directly over the path where we were walking just a couple of days ago.”
Local authorities emphasised that restoring ground access remains an uphill battle. “There is no alternative to helicopters even for bringing basic relief supplies,” said Nima Lama, chairperson of Chumnubri Rural Municipality. “The destruction of the cantilever bridge created an even bigger crisis towards Tsum Valley. There is no footpath left even to reach Philim.”
Laxman Gurung, chairperson of Dharche Rural Municipality, shared similar concerns regarding the road network below Machhakhola.
“Above Aarughat at Chhepare Bhir, the flood brought down heavy mud and cut off the road,” he said. “We are operating excavators to clear the mud in hopes of running vehicles up to Machhakhola. But between Khorlabesi and Ghattekhola, the river itself is flowing over the footpath. There is no way for people to pass through on foot.”
The complete blockade of the trails has stranded more than 100 foreign tourists who were trekking the Manaslu circuit near Jagat, alongside roughly 70 individuals in Salleri comprising local labourers, hydropower project workers, and residents. While private and military helicopters have rescued some tourists back to Kathmandu or airlifted them toward higher ground in the Manaslu region, many remain stuck.
“I lost my home and a hotel to the flood,” said Bishal Ghale, a resident of Sirdibas Jagat who was airlifted to Kathmandu by a Nepali Army helicopter to seek shelter with relatives. “Except for the clothes on my back, everything was swept away. Right now, victims are facing an acute crisis of food and shelter. You need a helicopter just to cross from one side of the Budhigandhi to the other.”
In response to the trail destruction, the Manaslu Conservation Area Project issued a public notice advising trekkers to suspend their journeys into the Tsum Valley. It said that while footpaths above Sirdibas toward Larke Pass remain relatively safe if accessed by air, all lower trekking routes from Machhakhola to Jagat are severely damaged.
“Coordination is underway with local authorities and government agencies to repair the trail, but reopening it will take time depending on weather conditions,” said the project, warning tourists, agencies, and local guides not to attempt crossing damaged river sections or unstable cliffs on foot.
The national disaster management authority confirmed that emergency supplies—including tents, mattresses, blankets, tarpaulins, rice, lentils, cooking oil, salt, and medical kits—are being ferried via air charters for distribution through local administrative units. However, the people’s representatives claimed that the displaced victims were deprived of relief materials.
Ram Kumar Gurung, ward chief of Chumnubri-3, who remains stranded in his home in Salleri, said that aid delivery remains bottlenecked without functional footpaths. “There is no path to reach the rural municipality headquarters,” he said. “Until the roads and footpaths are reopened, relief and movement will remain severely constrained.”