Kathmandu, October 11: The preliminary assessment state that the flooding in the Budhi Gandaki River in Gorkha occurred after a landslide initially blocked the river, forming a temporary dam, which subsequently gave way and triggered the flood.
Army officials inspected the landslide site by helicopter between Lokpa and Chumling in Ward No. 6 of Chumnubri Rural Municipality, Gorkha. Following the inspection, the military officials reported their findings to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).
Dr. Dharmaraj Upreti, Executive Chief of the NDRRMA, said the information received from the Army indicated that this was what appeared to have happened during the helicopter inspection. “The preliminary report suggests that a landslide blocked the river and that the water flow increased when the blockage began to give way,” he said.
Dr. Upreti said a team equipped with drones had been dispatched to investigate how the flood occurred in the Budhi Gandaki River. “We are studying the cause of the flood. We expect to know the reason by this evening,” he said.
The Gorkha District Police Office, however, claimed that an avalanche on Mount Siringe blocked the local Uingulung stream, triggering the flood in the Budhi Gandaki River, which flows through the same area. Preliminary reports also suggest that a landslide on Mount Siringe blocked the river, causing the flood.
According to the Directorate of Public Relations and Information of the Nepal Army, the landslide occurred at around 4:30 a.m. on Sunday. The river subsequently broke through the barrier formed by the landslide, unleashing a sudden flood carrying mud and debris.
Ten people have gone missing as a result of the flood.
So far, the flood has swept away six bridges along riverbanks in Chumnubri, Dharche and Aarughat rural municipalities of Gorkha district.
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