Source : INDIA TODAY NEWS
A massive flash flood near the Tibet border in Nepal washed away settlements, vehicles and infrastructure projects on Wednesday, with casualties feared as authorities scrambled to assess the devastation and urged people living along riverbanks to move to safer ground.
The sudden surge of water entered the river Bhote Koshi from the Tibetan side around 9 am in Rasuwa district, severely affecting the areas of Timure and Syapru Besi, officials said. The full extent of the damage and the number of casualties remain unclear.
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Rasuwa Chief District Officer Narendra Pariyar said authorities had received reports of villages and infrastructure project sites being washed away, but it was too early to give an estimate of casualties or property losses.
“There could be heavy casualties or loss of property,” Pariyar said, according to Reuters.
MARKET, BORDER AREA DEVASTATED
The flood caused extensive destruction in Timure Bazaar and the nearby customs area, with vehicles and goods swept away. A newly constructed bridge at the site of last year’s flood was also washed away, according to local officials.
Several police facilities were also damaged, including the Area Police Office in Timure, Police Post in Syaphrubesi and Police Post at Rasuwagadhi, according to Nepal Police. Nine Armed Police Force personnel deployed in Timure near the Nepal-China border were reported missing, according to The Kathmandu Post.
The flooding also damaged or swept away hydropower infrastructure in the area, while roads and bridges were affected. Electricity supplies were disrupted in parts of the region following the damage.
RESCUE TEAMS DEPLOYED, DOWNSTREAM ALERT
Nepal Prime Minister Balendra Shah, popularly known as Balen Shah, chaired an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers to review the flooding, damage and rescue efforts. His government has deployed the Nepal Army, Armed Police Force and Nepal Police for search and rescue operations, while two Army helicopters have been sent to the affected area, according to The Kathmandu Post.
Authorities have urged people living along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli river systems to remain highly alert and move to safer locations.
The flood has moved downstream into the Trishuli river basin, with warnings extended to Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Chitwan. The Flood Forecasting Division said the surge had reached the Galchhi area of Dhading and was expected to move towards Muglin.
Traffic towards Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Chitwan and Dhading has been suspended from Kathmandu amid the flood threat, while authorities have urged people to avoid vulnerable roads and riverbank areas, The Kathmandu Post reported.
Nepal’s Home Minister Sudan Gurung also appealed to residents along the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli riverbanks to evacuate to safer areas, warning that the river basins remained at high risk.
Former Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba also urged residents in areas surrounding the river Trishuli to remain vigilant and called on security agencies and political parties to assist in rescue efforts.
CAUSE OF FLASH FLOOD UNCLEAR
The exact cause of the sudden flood remains unclear. Nepal’s Flood Forecasting Division said the surge did not appear to have been caused by heavy rainfall in Rasuwa itself, while satellite imagery indicated significant rainfall on the Tibetan side of the border, according to The Kathmandu Post.
Officials are investigating whether the event could be linked to a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) or another sudden release of water from the Tibetan side, but no cause has yet been confirmed.
The Bhote Koshi originates in Tibet and flows into Nepal before joining the Trishuli system, which eventually enters India as the Gandak.
The region has experienced a deadly flood before. A major Bhote Koshi flood last year killed nine people and left 24 missing, while washing away a bridge linking Nepal and China and disrupting trade and transport for months. That disaster was later linked to the draining of a supraglacial lake in Tibet, according to a regional climate monitor.
BIHAR ON ALERT
The impact of the flooding in Nepal has also prompted an alert in neighbouring Bihar, where the state government is closely monitoring developments in Nepal.
Bihar Chief Secretary Pratyaya Amrit held a video conference with district magistrates and directed officials in districts along the Gandak and Kosi river systems to remain particularly vigilant following the flooding in Nepal.
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SOURCE :- TIMES OF INDIA
