TRISHULI: After breakfast, Chhatra Pyakurel of Dhunge in Bidur Municipality-1 was preparing to leave for work as usual. His house is some distance from the Trishuli River, and he believed that even a major rise in the river would not threaten his home.
So, when he received a warning on the morning of August 26 that a flood was approaching, he did not fully grasp the scale of the danger. As he prepared to leave, police officers began making announcements over a loudspeaker.
“The flood in Bhotekoshi has caused extensive damage in Timure, Rasuwa. A major flood is moving rapidly downstream. Everyone is urged to move to a safe location. Please move above Dhunge Chowk,” the police warned.
Pyakurel knew the police constable making the announcement, Arjun Neupane, and approached him to ask whether the flood was really that serious.
“Is the flood very big?” Pyakurel asked.
“Yes, it is very big,” the constable replied.
Even after hearing the warning, however, Pyakurel did not imagine that the flood would reach such a devastating scale.
“It was time for my granddaughter to go to school. I thought we would all have to leave the house,” Pyakurel recalled.
As he prepared to evacuate with his family, the water level in the Trishuli rose dramatically within minutes. Floodwaters surrounded the house from all sides, while nearby settlements, including Dhunge Bazaar, were inundated.
Six people, including Pyakurel, his family members and a neighbour, became trapped inside the house. They were eventually rescued by local residents and security personnel.
“We had received the warning, but we did not believe that such a massive flood would actually come,” Pyakurel said. “When the flood suddenly appeared in front of our eyes, there was no time left to reach a safe place.”
He went to see the flood and was caught in it
Shashi Dangol of Betrawati in Bidur Municipality-10 had also received information from a friend about the destruction caused by the flood in Timure. Soon afterwards, police from the Betrawati station issued a loudspeaker warning.
“Floodwaters are coming. Move to a safe place,” the police announced.
Dangol, who is involved in painting and social work, urged shopkeepers and residents in Betrawati Bazaar to close their businesses and move to safety. Yet, despite warning others, he himself headed towards the river to assess the situation.
He did not get far.
“I was going to see how serious the flood was when, suddenly, floodwaters surrounded me from all sides. I survived by a matter of seconds,” Dangol said.
Dangol suffered severe injuries to his leg after being caught in the flood. But the physical injuries were not the only pain he carried from the disaster. Watching friends and neighbours being swept away by the raging river before his eyes left a deeper emotional scar.
“My friends and neighbours were swept away right before my eyes. I will never forget that scene for the rest of my life,” he said emotionally. “I knew a major flood was coming, but I had no idea it would be this devastating.”
Lost family while rushing to spread the flood warning
Karma Tamang of Tiru in Uttargaya Rural Municipality-1, Rasuwa, is still grappling with profound grief. Displaced by the 2015 earthquake, he had been living in Khalde of Uttargaya Rural Municipality-5 for the past 10 years.
On August 26, after receiving news that flooding had caused devastation in Timure, Tamang rushed to warn more than 250 families in Khalde and Satbise. But less than 10 minutes after he began spreading the warning, floodwaters reached the settlements.
Tamang managed to escape, but 15 members of his family, including his parents and wife, were swept away. More than 100 people from the settlements remain missing.
“We knew that a major flood was coming, but we did not expect it to be this devastating,” Tamang said. “Like last year, we thought the floodwaters would take some time to reach us. We could hardly breathe as we tried to protect ourselves.”
Warnings reached communities, but their severity was underestimated
The flood of August 26 moved rapidly downstream from Timure through Rasuwagadhi and Ghattekhola, spreading to settlements along the river. Although early warnings reached communities downstream, many residents were unable to comprehend the scale and speed of the impending disaster.
Bishnu Shrestha of Dhunge in Bidur Municipality-1 said the extent of the destruction far exceeded what residents had imagined.
“My grandfather used to tell stories about the 2018 floods. There was not much loss of life then,” Shrestha said. “Now, my four-ropani paddy field, which was about 300 metres from the Trishuli River and at an elevation of around 100 metres, has been turned into a swamp.”
The flood devastated riverside settlements including Timure, Syafrubesi, Mailung, Shantibazar, Betrawati, Tupche, Trishuli and Devighat, with some areas overwhelmed within minutes.
According to Nuwakot Chief District Officer Shambhu Prasad Regmi, many residents did not take the warnings seriously because the weather appeared normal at the time.
“The weather was clear and the sun was shining. That is why many people found it difficult to believe that a major flood was approaching,” Regmi said. “Reducing casualties depends not only on how quickly warnings reach people, but also on how well they understand the seriousness of those warnings.”
The disaster has underscored a crucial lesson: while receiving advance warning is essential during a disaster, understanding the potential severity of the threat and moving immediately to a safe location can be equally critical.
Ramhari Neupane/RSS
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