Survivor recounts Hewa Khola flood terror

By Narayan Tumbapo,Panchathar, July 5:The devastating flood triggered by heavy rainfall in the Hewa Khola of Panchthar district on June 18 has left locals worried.

Mangal Bahadur Majhi, 40, from Majhitar, the furthest point of Hewa Khola, expressed his disbelief that such a flood could occur in the area. He mentioned that the Hewa Khola, which used to be swimmable during the dry season, all of a sudden turned into the Tamor River on the night of June 18.

Bhanubhakta Pokhrel, a longtime resident near the Hewa Khola bridge market along the Mechi Highway described the June 18 flood as a terrifying ordeal. 

He said, "When the flood arrived at 2 am with a loud thunder, we, the people of the market, who were soundly asleep, woke up in fear."

As they rushed out of their houses, they saw the motorable bridge over the river was under the flood water. “After a while, the bridge collapsed, and the Hewa Khola continued its course westward, with a thunderous roar,” Pokharel recalled. 

The Mechi Highway has been blocked for 15 days since the bridge collapsed.

Although traffic has been temporarily restored through diversions, the road becomes impassable during heavy floods. The lives of thousands of people living in the northern areas of Panchthar and Taplejung have been affected as the transportation and the movement of goods got disturbed after the flood washed away the bridge.

However, the residents of the Hewa Khola bridge area expressed relief that the bridge collapse prevented the flood from entering the village. Had the bridge not been swept away, the settlement would have been devasted, killing over a dozen locals.

The flood also washed away five concrete bridges, including one Bailey bridge, over the Hewa Khola. Many suspension bridges were also destroyed. As a result, the northern areas of Panchthar and all roads leading to Taplejung have been blocked. 

Two hydropower plants, with capacities of 14 and 21 megawatts, constructed in the Hewa Khola, have completely been damaged. Two people died, and three went missing in the Hewa Khola flood.

Local residents are confused as to why and how such a massive flood occurred in the Hewa Khola, causing extensive losses. Additionally, they are concerned that another flood may strike at any moment. Residents of the lower coastal area noted that although heavy rain occurred in previous years, they had never witnessed a flood of that magnitude.

However, it appeared that the lower coastal area received less rain this time. The Hydrology and Meteorology Field Office in Dhankuta reported a rainfall measurement of only 46.2 mm during that period. 

Conversely, Falelung Rural Municipality area, the source of Hewa Khola, recorded heavy rainfall of 230 mm, according to the office.

Rambabu Mishra, a meteorologist at the field office, stated that 230 mm of rainfall was recorded in that area on June 18. This rainfall served as the primary cause of the severe flood. 

Mishra said, "When the major flood occurred, from the night of June 17 to the morning of June 18, it seems that there was heavy rainfall in the Falelung area, as well as isolated rainfall. If rainfall exceeds 140 mm within a 24-hour period, there is a high risk of floods and landslides." Rudra Bahadur Pariyar, a senior meteorologist, stated that floods would not occur if water could flow without obstruction. 

However, in the case of the Hewa Khola, the flood was initially blocked and then unleashed with debris. Numerous landslides occurred in the Falelung area, which was the source of the major flood in the Hewa Khola.

Meteorologists also attribute the heavy flood in the area to the effects of climate change, according to their studies.