Budhi Gandaki Flash Flood: Four People Unaccounted for, Bridges and Hydropower Project Damaged

Dragon Media News Desk

A flash flood in the Budhi Gandaki River on Sunday morning damaged settlements, bridges and a hydropower project in Gorkha’s Chumnubri Rural Municipality. Four local residents who were staying in a cowshed beside the Ungilung River in Chumnubri–6, Chumchet, are unaccounted for. Local residents said a search was under way. No casualties have been confirmed so far.

The flood swept away the old suspension bridge linking Nyakchet and Sirdibas in Chumnubri–3, the suspension bridge connecting Machhikhola and Kerauja in Dharche–5, and the iron bridge at Arughat. The Arughat bridge connected Gorkha and Dhading. The flood also swept away the camp and some equipment at the under-construction 341-megawatt Budhi Gandaki Hydropower Project in Chumnubri–3, Salleri.

The extent of damage to homes has yet to be confirmed. Rural municipality Vice-Chairperson Laxmi Gurung said 35 homes were swept away in Paiyu and Bagar. Other preliminary reports said more than 10 homes were swept away in Salleri, Paiyu and Jagat Bagar, and homes were also damaged in Ghattikhola. In Sirdibas, a makeshift house belonging to Ram Bahadur Gurung was swept away, while floodwater entered another. In the lower settlement of Machhikhola, five to seven homes and a similar number of sheds were inundated. Police said 20 to 22 homes in Salleri, Dharche–3, are at risk.

Landslides may have blocked streams and triggered the flooding, according to preliminary estimates. Landslides may have occurred along the Ungilung River in Chumnubri–6 and the Syar River between Lokpa and Chumling. After the Budhi Gandaki’s flow fell, reports emerged that the river had been blocked again near Sirdibas. The exact cause and full extent of the damage have yet to be established.

Arughat Bazaar in Gorkha was evacuated because of the flood risk. Local authorities and police have urged people living along the river to move to safer locations. Residents in at-risk areas have been advised to remain alert as the river’s flow continues to fluctuate.