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 Jun 2017 Voices from the field

REDD+ in Chitwan: Finding balance for biodiversity protection in national parks

The National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC) has been working in Nepal since 1982. For over two decades, the autonomous ...

19 Apr 2017 Voices from the field

Water quality improvement options being explored in Himalica pilot sites in Myanmar

Training sessions were conducted in three different locations over the course of three days where 110 villagers, fifty percent of ...

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 ...

5 Oct 2016 Voices from the field

Naubise farmer finds relief in climate smart practices

Farmer Sita Neupane is the talk of the town this summer. Ms Neupane earned a whopping NPR 70,000, selling cucumbers ...

17 Mar 2017 Voices from the field

Beekeeping development as an income diversification option in Himalica pilot villages in Taplejung

Beekeeping is a common practice among pilot households in the Support to Rural Livelihoods and Climate change Adaptation in the ...

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 ...

5 Apr 2017 Voices from the field

Farmers in AdaptHimal pilot see promise in beekeeping

In March 2017, a team of agriculture and beekeeping specialists visited six neighbouring paras (villages) in Khagrachari district of the ...

Photo Story: Monsoon Wreaks Havoc in Sindhupalchowk

Stay current

Continue exploring this topic