Kathmandu, Sept 18: The August 26 flood in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers struck hydropower projects across the region. Twenty-two days later, 898 people working at 13 projects remain unaccounted for.
According to figures compiled by the Nepal Engineers’ Association, 188 of those reported missing are engineers and technicians. After weeks of searching without news, some families have performed funeral rites using effigies made of kusha grass.
Upper Trishuli 1 has the highest number of missing engineers and technicians, at 60. The association lists 42 at Upper Trishuli 3B, 30 at Upper Trishuli 3A, 25 at Rasuwagadhi, 20 at Langtang Khola, six at Mailung Khola and five at Chilime. It says the bodies of 17 engineers and technicians have been found, while Sanjay Sah and Kabir Maharjan were rescued.
Four bodies and a human body part were found at the Chilime project on Wednesday. One of the bodies was that of an engineer or technician.
Across the projects, 575 workers are unaccounted for at the 216 MW Upper Trishuli 1 project, 93 at the 111 MW Rasuwagadhi project, four at the 120 MW Rasuwa Bhotekoshi project, 42 at the 20 MW Langtang Khola project, six at the 22 MW Chilime project, seven at the 5 MW Mailung Khola project, 42 at the 60 MW Upper Trishuli 3A project and 122 at the 37 MW Upper Trishuli 3B project.
For 22 days, the family of electrical engineer Somnath Poudel waited for news of him, his wife and their children. Somnath, who worked at Upper Trishuli 3B, lived in project housing with his wife Tara Upadhyay and their 28-month-old twins, Shivansh and Tisiya. All four have been missing since the flood.
Another family of four from Upper Trishuli 3B remains unaccounted for. Engineers Rajesh Sharma Poudel, 33, and Pramila Pathak, 31, disappeared along with their four-year-old twins, Aditya and Aditi.
Relatives searched the flood affected area, hoping to find them alive, but received no news. With none of their bodies found, the family performed funeral rites using kusha grass effigies at Pashupati Aryaghat. Rajesh, from Tityang in Baglung Municipality 9, was his family’s only son and had three sisters.
Login to add a comment