Residents living along the Budhi Gandaki river in north central Nepal were forced to evacuate on Sunday due to flash flooding that resulted in the destruction of homes and other structures in the vicinity. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority took action to evacuate villagers and advised others to relocate to safer areas, maintaining a state of alertness until late Sunday. Fortunately, there were no immediate reports of casualties.
Efforts are underway by the disaster management agency to ascertain the cause of the flash flood in the Budhi Gandaki river, a significant watercourse that converges with the Trishuli river and holds strategic importance near the capital city of Kathmandu. Social media footage depicted houses and sheds being washed away by the surging river amidst towering mountains, with the extent of impact on the small villages in the mountainous region yet to be fully determined. Reports suggest that the government’s warning led to evacuations in Arughat, a town situated along the river on the highway linking Kathmandu to other regions.
Nepal continues to recover from a devastating flood in August that ravaged the mountainous Nepal-China border, claiming over 1,400 lives and leaving thousands missing. The office of Nepal’s Prime Minister Balendra Shah declared the conclusion of search and rescue operations for missing individuals. Instead, the focus will shift towards recovery efforts, including the restoration of infrastructure such as roads and bridges severed by the floods, particularly in remote areas where aid delivery has been challenging.
The government anticipates that the reconstruction process will incur a cost of $4.77 billion. Approximately 33,000 individuals have been affected, with around 7,500 homes sustaining damage or being completely destroyed due to the calamity.