A devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwa on Wednesday morning has caused widespread destruction, sweeping away markets, the Rasuwa Customs Office, a newly constructed bridge, police facilities and parts of several hydropower projects.
According to Rasuwa Assistant Chief District Officer Dhruva Prasad Adhikari, the flood in the Lende stream, also known as the Bhotekoshi, caused extensive damage in the Rasuwagadhi border area.
“Two markets have been completely devastated,” Adhikari said. The Timure market and another nearby settlement were severely affected. A large number of new vehicles and other goods kept in the Rasuwa Customs area were also swept away by the flood.
The flood also destroyed a newly completed bridge that had been rebuilt after being washed away by last year's flood.
28 Police Personnel Out of Contact
A total of 28 police personnel—19 from Nepal Police and nine from the Armed Police Force—have gone out of contact following the flood.
According to Bagmati Province Police Chief DIG Deepak Regmi, only nine of the 22 police personnel stationed at the Rasuwagadhi Police Post have made contact, while 13 remain unaccounted for.
At Syaphrubesi, three of the nine police personnel have made contact, while six are still out of contact. In addition, all nine Armed Police Force personnel stationed at the Timure Border Outpost are currently unaccounted for.
The flood has also swept away police facilities in the affected area. Security personnel from all three security agencies have been deployed for rescue and relief operations.
The Nepal Army has mobilized search-and-rescue teams, including helicopters, while medical teams have also been deployed to provide emergency treatment to those affected.
Warning Issued to Settlements Along the Trishuli
The Flood Forecasting Division has urged residents living along the Trishuli River to evacuate settlements and market areas and move to safer locations.
According to the division, the flood had reached the Galchhi area of Dhading and was expected to pass Muglin within a few hours. Authorities have urged people living along the Trishuli, as well as areas around the Prithvi Highway and Muglin–Narayangadh road section, to remain on high alert.
Residents have been advised to move away from riverbanks and relocate to safer areas.
Major Damage to Hydropower Projects
The flood has also caused significant damage to hydropower projects with a combined capacity of more than 300 megawatts along the Trishuli River corridor, according to an initial assessment by the Ministry of Energy.
The affected projects include the 111-MW Rasuwagadhi, 22-MW Chilime, 60-MW Trishuli 3A, 37-MW Trishuli 3B, 14-MW Mailung and 35-MW Trishuli–Benighat hydropower projects.
The 57-MW Upper Sanjen and Sanjen hydropower projects have also sustained damage, according to preliminary information.
Powerhouses and substations are among the infrastructure believed to have been damaged by the flood.
However, authorities said it was difficult to assess the full extent of the damage because flooding was continuing. Details regarding employees working at the affected projects were also being collected.
12 Rescued by Helicopters
The government has mobilized 12 helicopters for rescue operations in flood-hit areas. Four helicopters from the Nepal Army and eight from the private sector have been deployed.
According to the Nepal Army, six people were rescued from Syaphrubesi, two from Mailung and four from Dhunche, bringing the total number of people rescued by helicopter to 12.
The rescued people are receiving emergency medical treatment from a Nepal Army medical team at the No. 1 Military Training Centre in Trishuli.
The Army has also mobilized search-and-rescue teams from Dhunche, Rasuwa and Gajuri in Dhading. Additional helicopter teams equipped for rescue and medical assistance have been dispatched toward Rasuwa and Nuwakot.
Security agencies from Dhading, Nuwakot, Rasuwa and Chitwan have also been mobilized for search, rescue and relief operations.
To ensure a sufficient supply of aviation fuel for helicopters involved in rescue operations, the Nepal Oil Corporation has dispatched a tanker carrying aviation fuel from Kathmandu to Trishuli in Nuwakot.
Prime Minister Chairs High-Level Meeting
A meeting of the National Council for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management was held at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in Singha Durbar to review the damage caused by the flood and discuss rescue and relief measures.
The meeting was briefed on the preliminary extent of the destruction caused by the flood.
Prime Minister Balendra Shah directed the concerned authorities to focus on the immediate rescue, search and relief of people affected by the disaster.
The government has prioritized search-and-rescue operations and deployed security personnel, medical teams and helicopters to the affected areas.
Officials said the full extent of the human and physical damage would become clearer once ongoing search, rescue and assessment operations are completed.
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