22 Aug 2016 | Voices from the field

Photo Story: Monsoon Wreaks Havoc in Sindhupalchowk

1 min Read

After the 5 July Bhotekoshi flood in Sindhupalchowk, a team from the HYCOS Initiative of the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) visited Barahbise and talked with several people living and working along the Arnico Highway.

Some twenty truckloads of stone was dumped to reinforce Bahrabise bridge’s supporting pillar.

Rajesh Thapa, operator at the Sunkoshi Hydropower Station, received flood alert calls from friends and was able to raise all six bridge gates to release the flood waters unimpeded.

Floodwater dumped stones and boulders at the mouth of the gates, leaving one gate with minor damage.

Debris blocks the flow of water into the diversion intake canals. The 10-MW Sunkoshi Hydropower Stations is currently non-operational.

Recent flooding deposited a large amount of sand in an artificial lake created by the 2014 Jure landslide which blocked the Sunkoshi river. This phenomenon is known as ‘sand casting’.

A cloudburst washes away parts of the Jure road making it impassable until a bulldozer was dispatched by the Department of Roads.

A heavier monsoon means a greater flood risk to downstream communities.

One of many residents of Khadichaur who fled floodwaters that fateful night, Mane Majhi. Like many residents, Majhi was separated in the dark from his father who later returned with a t-shirt full of washed-up fish.

Locals from Ramche VDC worry rain and road construction could trigger landslides and rockfalls.

Mandira Shrestha, HYCOS/ICIMOD Programme Coordinator said what happens upstream in China can have severe consequences downstream in Nepal. Dr Shrestha emphasised the need for transboundary cooperation in terms of flood data sharing and setting up of flood early warning systems, not to mention landslide hazard mapping and mitigation.

Continue exploring this topic

13 Oct 2017 Voices from the field

Cross-Border Exchange: Community Forestry Management Systems in Nepal Inspire Community Leaders in Myanmar

“I have been dreaming of implementing community forestry practices in forests around my village for a long time. I just ...

30 Aug 2016 Voices from the field

Jholmal produces safer food and fetches better income

The village of Bhoterungti in Kavre Palanchowk District, Nepal was one of many settlements in the region affected by the ...

24 May 2017 Voices from the field

Women in Community Forestry

Dolakha district is home to 422 community forestry user groups (CFUGs) and a majority of its forested area is comprised ...

19 Jan 2017 Voices from the field

Exposure visit to India to learn about Climate Smart Agricultural and Marketing practices

A team of eight people from Nepal supported by ICIMOD’s Himalica programme and HICAP visited Haryana and Delhi in India from 5-10 December 2016 ...

20 Apr 2017 Voices from the field

Commercial vegetable farming- A new livelihood option for farmers in Udayapur, Nepal

Bishnu Prasad Ghimire, a vegetable farmer from Triyuga, a municipality in Nepal’s Udayapur district, recalls how up until a few ...

18 Dec 2017 Voices from the field

Building social capital through the migrant returnee network

Migration is an important livelihood strategy for people in Nepal. In four Himalica pilot sites in Udayapur (Bagaha, Murkuchi and ...

29 Aug 2016 Voices from the field

Caught amidst a flash flood in Bahrabise

By the mid-monsoon, flash floods of Bhote Koshi had already swept away more than 65 houses and placed 200 more ...

12 Sep 2016 Voices from the field

Rhino dies after botched poaching attempt

A 12-15 year old rhino who survived more than two weeks after poachers riddled the bull with bullets succumbed to ...

Photo Story: Monsoon Wreaks Havoc in Sindhupalchowk

Stay current

Continue exploring this topic