Flash flood hits Rasuwa, damages hydropower projects and markets

Tha Kathmandu Post:

A flash flood has swept through the Timure and Syabrubesi areas of Rasuwa, damaging markets and hydropower projects and prompting authorities to warn communities downstream along the Trishuli river.

The Rasuwa District Administration Office said it had received reports of a sudden surge in the Bhote Koshi river, which enters Nepal from Tibet. The administration warned that the surge could raise water levels in the Trishuli and increase the risk of flooding downstream.

It urged people fishing or working in the Trishuli to move away from the river immediately and asked those living along its banks, as well as hydropower projects and other infrastructure near the river, to take precautions and make necessary preparations.

Rasuwa Chief District Officer Narendra Pariyar said the extent of the damage was not yet known and that the cause of the sudden flooding remained unclear.

“We have received reports that the flood came suddenly. We do not yet know the extent of the damage. We have heard that it caused fairly significant damage. We are trying to contact people in the affected areas,” he told Kantipur.

Pariyar said there had been no rainfall around the district headquarters.

“There has been no rain here. The sun is out. We don’t know whether a glacial lake burst upstream or what happened. The flood appeared suddenly. It appears to have affected settlements. We do not have all the details yet,” he said.

The flood washed away a hydropower project and damaged other projects, including the Chilime Hydropower Project, resident Ajay Shrestha said.

“It looked as though the water had come after a dam had burst,” Shrestha said.

Given the scale of the flooding, Shrestha said downstream areas could also be affected. The exact source of the flood has yet to be established.