Kathmandu, October 11
A flash flood carrying silt and gravel has hit the Budhigandaki River in Gorkha’s Chumnubri Rural Municipality.
The flood is feared to cause damage downstream as far as Arughat. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority has urged people living along the riverbanks to stay alert.
According to the authority’s Chief Executive Officer, Dharmaraj Upreti, the flood could cause damage as far as Sirdibas, Jagat, Yari, Tatopani, Machhikhola, Soti, Aarukhet and Arughat. He said residents of these areas should be alert.
The Flood Forecasting Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has also sent SMS alerts to residents along the riverbanks. Flood expert Binod Parajuli of the division said the flood is expected to take about three hours to reach Arughat, and the SMS urges people to stay alert all the way to Arughat.
The flood joined the Budhigandaki through a local stream from the Chumchet area of Ward 6 of Chumnubri Rural Municipality in Gorkha. The Budhigandaki flows along the eastern face of Mount Manaslu.
The cause of the flood has not yet been established. There is no record of rainfall in the upper catchment. The disaster authority said the preliminary assessment is that a landslide may have blocked the flow and the dam later burst, triggering the flash flood.
