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

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 ...

6 Oct 2016 Voices from the field

Jholmal – A chemical-free solution for farmers in Kavre

'People still act surprised when we tell them that bio-pesticides can be used as an alternative to chemical pesticides’, Sumita ...

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 ...

12 Apr 2017 Voices from the field

Delegates from Chitral, Pakistan, visit Nepal to learn about commercial Apis cerana beekeeping

Beekeeping has a spiritual significance among the Kalash community of Pakistan and is considered oshniru or sacred. Beekeeping is practiced ...

12 Jan 2018 Voices from the field

Integrated Farming System key to Sound Economy and Protected Natural Ecosystems

The story of Prithivi Maden’s life rings true to this statement. Aged 49 and hailing from Phungling Municipality, Ward 1, ...

6 Apr 2016 Voices from the field

Voices from Kailash Sacred Landscape

The International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development’s (ICIMOD) Kailash Sacred Land-scape Conservation and Development Initiative (KSLCDI) would like to introduce ...

11 May 2017 Voices from the field

Women benefit most from rainwater harvesting systems at community level in Himalica pilot villages in Myanmar

Pilot project activities focusing on rainwater harvesting (RWH) systems implemented by the Support to Rural Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation ...

23 Aug 2016 Voices from the field

He said, she said: Tree species perceived differently by men and women

Forests are a lifeline for men and women in rural areas. They provide timber for building homes and sheds, wood ...

Photo Story: Monsoon Wreaks Havoc in Sindhupalchowk

Stay current

Continue exploring this topic