Author: space4knews

The Director General of the Department of Roads has reported that the recent floods have caused significant erosion on the Prithvi Highway, the main road connecting Kathmandu, particularly in the Munti area. He described this as the most extensive damage to Nepal’s road infrastructure caused by the Rasuwa floods. The erosion began last week in the Krishna Bhairab area following the devastating floods, and additional floodwaters on Sunday morning resulted in further deterioration of the road.

Director General Vijay Jaisi stated that a large section of the road has been washed away in this area, and vehicles have been instructed to use alternative routes. Officials had previously estimated damage amounting to around 2 billion Nepalese rupees, caused by extensive destruction to bridges and roads in Rasuwa and surrounding districts.

According to Director General Jaisi, the floodwaters from Rasuwa caused the Trishuli River’s water levels to rise, starting the erosion along the Munti section of the Krishna Bhairab road. The sediment-laden floodwaters on Sunday morning completely washed away the road. He noted, “Significant portions of the road have been eroded due to floods originating from the Himalayan region. We are facing serious challenges in the Krishna Bhairab area.”

The Department of Roads had earlier issued a statement indicating damage to 19 of its bridges and approximately 40 kilometers of roads stretching from Nuwakot to Syafrubesi and Rasuwa Gadhi.

Videos depicting the devastation towards Tibet have been released by China’s state-controlled media. Rescuers are seen searching the muddy and rocky terrain, calling out, “Is anyone there?” They trekked on foot through the mountainous area, crossing rivers swollen by the floodwaters, and reached the affected region of Gairang Port on Friday afternoon.

“We witnessed destruction there,” said Zhao Mingke, a member of the Lhasa Fire and Rescue team, to China’s official media outlet CCTV. “The gate in the old border area was covered by mud and swampland. Walking there, feet would sink.” Kerung (Gyirong Port in China), located at the Rasuwagadhi border in Nepal, is a major checkpoint connecting Nepal and Tibet and an important location for tourists and locals alike.

Satellite images reveal that the region has been completely devastated. At least 554 people are reported missing on the Tibet side, and seven deaths have been officially confirmed.

Authorities have stated that due to difficulties in obtaining information from the high Himalayan region, various initial estimates and misinformation have spread. The incident in the remote area led to uncertainty about the cause of the flood, as satellite imagery was unavailable and helicopters could not reach the site, resulting in numerous speculations. A sudden flood in the Bhote Koshi area of Rasuwa caused significant loss of lives and property. Initially, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology and other government agencies were unable to confirm the cause, leading to guesses such as an earthquake or the bursting of a glacial lake. However, the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology confirmed the following day that the flood was caused by a landslide. Meanwhile, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported seismic activity in the area.

According to officials, the number of recovered bodies due to the flood has reached 626, while approximately 2,500 people remain missing. Around 4,500 individuals have been rescued. The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology stated that despite some rainfall, there is currently no risk of a major flood. Senior meteorologist Bibhuti Pokharel said, “There has only been light rain, and the chance of heavy rainfall is low.” However, senior hydrologist Binod Parajuli warned that due to the formation of two lakes below the landslide zone, the flood risk still persists.

“There is a lake situated between the mountain area below the landslide and above the slope, and another lake formed by a landslide damming a stream,” he explained. “Both lakes are unstable because they are located within landslide zones and could burst as they gradually fill.” He added that although these lakes lie at elevations of 4,000 and 3,000 meters and present risk, communities in lower areas have been alerted accordingly. Although there was speculation that the landslide moved toward Tibet, investigations have confirmed it was directed within Nepal. “Satellite images show that the flood did not originate from Tibet, but from the Nepal-China border,” he said.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) noted that the lack of information about the high mountainous affected area resulted in different assumptions being made. “We did not have information about the state of the high Himalayan region, so people began to speculate. Some said it was a landslide; others claimed a glacial lake had burst. This is a gap in scientific data,” stated Dharma Raj Upreti, head of the Authority. “It is now imperative to understand this situation and develop an early warning system, which will require significant investment.”

Foreign Minister Shashir Khanal has informed that the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Foreign Affairs are actively discussing the rapid preparation of the Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA). During a press conference held at the ministry on Saturday, he mentioned ongoing consultations about the possibility of organizing a donor conference soon based on this report. He also noted that “initial preparations have already commenced,” emphasizing that the government’s current priority remains “saving as many lives as possible.”

Previously, Nepal’s largest disaster was the 2015 earthquake (2072 BS). Two former Chief Executive Officers of the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA), established after the earthquake, have suggested that the reconstruction work following the Rasuwa floods will differ significantly and must be planned accordingly. Former CEO Govindraj Pokharel explained, “Although houses collapsed during the earthquake, the land remained mostly intact, but in this case, many areas have lost entire settlements, making the situation different.”

Another former NRA chief, Sushil Gyawali, emphasized that the new donor conference should also address potential disaster risks in other watershed areas alongside the Rasuwa flood recovery efforts. The donor conference for the 2015 earthquake was held about two months after the event. Pokharel asserted that, similarly, after the rescue operations conclude for the Rasuwa floods, it is crucial to conduct an initial assessment within one month to prevent the fading of the currently felt urgency.

Minister Khanal described the damage caused by the Rasuwa flood as “very extensive” and acknowledged the need for international assistance for reconstruction. Finance Minister Swarnim Wagle estimated that reconstruction could require between 400 to 500 million US dollars following the devastating flood. Minister Khanal shared preliminary data indicating that around 15,000 private houses have been affected.

The flood-affected area linked to the Rasuwa-Gadhi-Kerung border is a vital economic trade zone on the Chinese side, with more than two-thirds of trade transiting through this route towards China. Pokharel highlighted the necessity of adopting a new policy approach when preparing the PDNA, stating, “This reconstruction will set new standards for building houses, settlements, and roads.” Minister Khanal added, “As relief operations continue, further assessments of needs are underway, and depending on the requirements, additional cooperation will be sought from neighboring and international partners.”

The devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli region has raised questions about the effectiveness of Nepal’s early warning system. Many experts believe that timely warnings could have reduced the loss of lives. However, officials have stated that currently, Nepal’s forecasting capability is limited to predicting floods caused by rainfall. Since this particular flood was not triggered by rain, the early warning system was unprepared to handle such a disaster, they acknowledged. Vinod Parajuli, Chief of the Flood Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, explained, “We forecast floods caused by rainfall, but our system is not equipped to provide early warnings for floods resulting from glacial lake outbursts or glacial avalanches.” Parajuli also pointed out the lack of adequate early warning centers in the Bhotekoshi-Trishuli area to effectively mitigate the impact of Wednesday’s flood.

Most of the early warning instruments had been installed at bridges considered safe. “Five early warning centers located at Rasuwagadhi, Syafrubesi, Betara, Phalankhu, and Malekhu were damaged in this flood. This exposed the limitations of our system,” he added. Currently, 250 automatic early warning centers operate nationwide to measure flood levels. Among the key river basins and tributaries—including Koshi, Gandaki, Karnali, Mahakali, Bagmati, West Rapti, Babai, and Kankai—five centers were swept away during the Wednesday flood. Measurement sites at Muglin and Devghat remain intact, and ongoing data analysis aims to study the volume and characteristics of the flood.

According to Parajuli, the Rasuwa District Administration Office was the first to receive reports of the flood entering Nepal from Tibet, and this information was promptly relayed to the Flood Forecasting Division. However, when the team tried to verify the situation by contacting staff in Syafrubesi, phone connections could not be established due to communication disruptions. Despite this, the early warning system was activated based on the information available from Syafrubesi. Dharma Raj Upreti, Chief of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, stated that seven hundred thousand SMS alerts were sent to the lower flood-affected areas. After sending these alerts, the Home Ministry was informed immediately, and mass SMS notifications were issued within five to seven minutes. The severe flood struck Betrawati within minutes of the alerts being sent, but the public did not take the warnings seriously, creating challenges in response. Upreti commented, “Even with the intention to warn people, the lack of clarity about flood levels and potential damage prevented the gravity of the situation from being fully communicated to the public.”

Continuous efforts to recover bodies and rescue survivors are ongoing following the Bhote Koshi-Trishuli floods that occurred last Wednesday. The floods caused extensive damage, prompting various agencies to play active roles in assisting the affected communities. Relief operations are also being carried out in full swing.

The floods in the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli Rivers, flowing through Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts, have almost submerged the historic Trishuli Bazaar in Nuwakot, according to Lenin Ranjit, ward chairman of Vidur Municipality Ward No. 1. He stated that residents of Trishuli were warned about the impending flood and were immediately instructed to evacuate, with announcements made via loudspeakers.

“While crossing the old Trishuli bridge, the floodwaters arrived. By the time I reached the new bridge, water had risen to ankle level,” Ranjit said. “I managed to reach a stone structure and survived.”

Ranjit further explained, “More than half of the bazaar’s land area is submerged. The Trishuli Hydroelectric Plant, both new and old permanent bridges of the bazaar, Trishuli School, temples, and houses have all been washed away. The nearby Dunge Bazaar has also been completely submerged.” He added that details regarding both physical and human losses are still unclear. “Friends have witnessed people being swept away right before their eyes. Contact with several residents of the bazaar has not been established.” He also mentioned that the process of mobilizing helicopters for rescue operations is underway.

Currently, the residents of the bazaar have taken shelter in Vidur and Colony areas. Ward Chairman Ranjit noted, “Although residents in the lower area by the riverbank evacuated promptly, those in the upper bazaar were yet to relocate. Although similar warnings have been issued in the past, floods have never before devastated the bazaar to this extent. No one anticipated a flood this catastrophic.” Previously, in 1985 (2042 BS), after a landslide in Dhunche, Rasuwa, the Trishuli River was blocked, causing concerns for the bazaar’s safety and a full evacuation. However, that flood did not enter the bazaar itself.

The historic Trishuli Bazaar, also known as ‘Sanghu Bazaar,’ houses approximately 500 households with a population exceeding 2,000, according to local officials.