KATHMANDU: A total of 47 people stranded in areas affected by flooding in the Budhigandaki River in Gorkha have been rescued and relocated to safety, the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said on Sunday afternoon.
Dr. Dharma Raj Upreti, Executive Chief of the Authority, said 386 security personnel, supported by four Nepali Army helicopters, had been mobilized for search and rescue operations in the affected areas.
According to Upreti, the deployment includes 127 Nepali Army personnel, 83 Nepal Police personnel and 177 personnel from the Armed Police Force (APF).
The flood has caused extensive damage to bridges, houses and hydropower infrastructure in Gorkha district, while assessment teams are working to determine the full extent of the destruction.
An old suspension bridge connecting Nyakchet in Chumnubri Rural Municipality-3 with Sirdibas was swept away by the flood. In the same area, one house was washed away, while floodwaters entered another.
Similarly, a suspension bridge connecting Machhikhola in Dharche Rural Municipality-5 with Karaunja was destroyed.
Technical teams from the Authority and the Department of Roads, equipped with drones, have been deployed to the affected areas to assess the damage to bridges and investigate the circumstances surrounding the flooding.
The Authority has also received reports that the powerhouse of the Sahaj Urja project, which is under construction in Salleri, Dharche Rural Municipality-3, was swept away. Seven to eight nearby houses were reportedly washed away as well.
Upreti said floodwaters swept away a section of the concrete bridge on the Gorkha side at Nayapul in Arughat Rural Municipality-9, which connects Gorkha and Dhading districts.
More than 20 houses are at risk after floodwaters entered the lower settlement of Machhikhola, he added. The permanent iron bridge at Soti, connecting wards 2 and 3 of Arughat Rural Municipality, was also swept away.
The flood has further damaged hydropower infrastructure in the region. The main camp area and some construction equipment of the 341 MW Budhigandaki Hydropower Project were swept away, according to the Authority.
Likewise, several houses in the camp area of the 24.5 MW Dobhan Khola Hydropower Project sustained damage, and a Bailey bridge associated with the project was washed away.
The Authority said efforts were underway to collect additional information on the damage caused by the flood and assess the situation in the affected settlements and infrastructure sites.
Search and rescue operations are continuing, with security personnel and technical teams working to reach affected areas, assist stranded residents and assess the risks posed by damaged infrastructure.
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