Dozens of houses and bridges were swept away by flooding in Nepal’s Budhi Gandaki River in Gorkha district….reports Asian Lite News Desk
Flash flooding in Nepal’s Budhi Gandaki River has swept away dozens of houses, bridges and other infrastructure in the western district of Gorkha. No casualties had been reported as of Sunday morning, while authorities were assessing the damage and urging residents along the river to move to safer locations.
The flooding affected Chumnubri Rural Municipality, which borders China, and damaged infrastructure, including a camp belonging to the 341-MW Budhi Hydroelectric Project.
Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, chief district officer at the District Administration Office in Gorkha, said officials were collecting details about the damage caused by the floods.
“We are collecting details about the damage caused by the floods,” he said.
“Some houses in Jagat and Salleri villages in Chumnubri Rural Municipality, as well as the camp of the 341-MW Budhi Hydroelectric Project, were swept away by the floodwaters.”
Local media reports said the floodwaters also swept away suspension bridges and a steel bridge, while damaging a hydropower project construction site.
The exact cause of the flooding remains unclear, and officials have yet to establish the full extent of the damage.
Initial estimates suggest that a landslide between Lokpa and Chumling in Ward No. 6 of Chumnubri Rural Municipality may have blocked the Syar Khola, a tributary of the Budhi Gandaki River, triggering the flooding. However, this possibility has not been confirmed.
What caused the flooding in Nepal’s Budhi Gandaki River?
Laxmi Gurung, vice-chairperson of Chumnubri Rural Municipality, said the flooding resembled the devastating incident that struck the Bhote Koshi River in Nepal’s Rasuwa district on August 26.
“The Budhi Gandaki flood is reminiscent of the Bhotekoshi flood. Dozens of houses have been swept away. It is too early to determine the exact extent of the damage,” she told local news portal Onlinekhabar.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) urged people living along the river to move to safer locations, warning that the water level had risen above the danger mark.
The latest flooding comes more than a month after devastating floods in the Rasuwa and Trishuli river areas on August 26.
According to the NDRRMA, those floods claimed 1,455 lives, while 5,285 people remained missing.
Authorities in Gorkha are continuing to assess the damage caused by the Budhi Gandaki flooding as concerns remain over the safety of communities living along the river.
