A flash flood with massive debris struck the Lhende River on Wednesday.
Rasuwa’s Chief District Officer (CDO) Arjun Paudel informed Setopati that the flood hit the Kerung border at 2:14 a.m.
After receiving information about the flash flood, it was initially suspected that the water flow had increased in the Kerung River, but it has been confirmed that the flood originated in the Lhende River, Paudel said.
According to Paudel, Tibetan officials had sent a notice a few days ago and urged vigilance in Nepal, citing potential heavy rainfall in Tibet. However, no significant rainfall occurred in or around Rasuwa on Tuesday or Wednesday morning. Therefore, a glacial lake outburst is suspected to have caused the flash flood, Paudel said.
On July 8, a similar flash flood in the Lhende River swept away the Miteri Bridge in Kerung and left 28 people missing, with 11 bodies recovered and the rest unaccounted for.
Preliminary assessments of the July 8 flood suggested a supraglacial lake outburst in the upper catchment of the Lhende River, about 36 kilometers upstream from Kerung. Paudel believes a similar event may have occurred this time, though it is not yet confirmed.
“They had said that other supraglacial lakes might exist in the Lhende’s upper catchment and advised caution. We suspect the same, but it’s not yet verified,” he said.
According to Paudel, security forces were deployed immediately after the flood alert, preventing human casualties. However, nearly 16 kilometers of the road connecting Syaphrubesi to Kerung has been damaged in multiple places. The July 8 flood had eroded about 1,400 meters of the road in 12 locations. This time, the flood has damaged a recently constructed temporary track.
“The connection from Syaphru to the upper region has been cut off. The Rasuwagadhi Hydropower project was already damaged by the previous flood. This flood has caused significant erosion on both sides of the access bridge to the hydropower, putting it at risk. We had used the hydropower’s equipment to build a temporary track earlier, but now those machines are stranded on the other side,” Paudel said.
He added that some temporary shelters between Rasuwagadhi and Syaphru were washed away, but no human casualties were reported.
The river carried large boulders, though its flow has slightly decreased compared to the morning.
Senior Hydrologist Binod Parajuli from the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology’s Flood Forecasting Division reported that the river's water level in Rasuwagadhi reached a maximum of 4 meters on Wednesday morning, compared to 8 meters on July 8. The normal water level is about 1.5 meters.
“This flood wasn’t huge compared to the one on July 8. We are also investigating the cause,” he said.
The flood has significantly impacted downstream areas, inundating Uttargayadham in Rasuwa, according to Madhav Aryal, chairman of Uttargaya Rural Municipality. It also damaged towers at the Trishuli 3B hub station, though detailed damage reports are pending.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said that the flood has damaged the customs yard in Timure again. The previous flood had swept away four trucks and 42 electric vehicles there, and this time, it washed away a weighbridge.
“As the flood level remains high, residents along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, and Dhading are urged to remain vigilant. They are also urged to avoid activities like fishing or collecting firewood and debris from the floodwaters,” the authority said.
