DHADING: A flood in the Budhi Gandaki River on Sunday morning caused extensive damage in Bishalnagar, Tripurasundari Rural Municipality-2, Dhading, damaging 72 households and sweeping away a concrete bridge connecting Dhading and Gorkha.
According to the District Police Office, Dhading, 58 of the 72 affected households were completely damaged, while 14 sustained partial damage. A total of 308 people were affected by the disaster.
The flood also washed away the concrete bridge linking Arughat Rural Municipality-9 in Gorkha with Tripurasundari Rural Municipality-2 in Dhading, disrupting connectivity between the two districts.
Preliminary reports suggest that an avalanche in the Siringe Himal blocked the Uingulung River, causing water to accumulate before triggering a surge in the Budhi Gandaki River. Police said residents of settlements along the riverbanks were moved to safer locations as the flood threatened their homes.
A 65-year-old man, Jit Bahadur Majhi, who was trapped by the flood, was rescued safely from Devisthan in Tripurasundari Rural Municipality-1.
Majhi, a resident of Tarkeshwor Municipality-2 in Nuwakot, had been staying at his daughter’s home in Kachhadgaun, Tripurasundari Rural Municipality-1, Dhading, when the incident occurred.
No casualties were reported in the flood. A 45-member police team led by Superintendent of Police Sumit Khadka of the District Police Office, Dhading, was deployed to the affected area for rescue and relief operations.
Meanwhile, 35 flood-affected people are taking shelter at a temporary holding centre established at Chuli Devi Secondary School in Tripurasundari Rural Municipality-2. Authorities are continuing to assess the damage and manage the situation in the affected settlements.