Flashflood in Solukhumbu causes massive devastation

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Aug. 17: At least one dozen houses were swept away and one person went missing in a flash flood at Thame in Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality-5, Solukhumbu district, on Friday. 

Talking to The Rising Nepal after the disaster on Friday, Subash Tamang, ward secretary of the Rural Municipality-5, said that no human casualty was reported. But locals have reported that one person has gone missing in the flood. 

However, at least a dozen houses were swept away by the flood. Ward Secretary Tamang said that the flash flood might have occurred due to the outburst of one of the glacier lakes around the Fyangbo region. "Outburst of Glacier Lake is more expected in the Fyangbo region as the region experienced a heavy rainfall," said Secretary Tamang.

It is yet to be confirmed how many people were there in the village during the time of the flood. However, locals who have come into contact have not filed complaints of their relatives gone missing, said Tamang. 

Communication and electricity services in Thame have been disrupted.

Local police, rescue team and Nepali Army reached the disaster site to conduct search and rescue operations, said Tamang.

According to Tamang, Thame Basic School, health post and settlements were swept away by the flood. Local Thame River eroded the settlements.

The lower coastal area of the Dudh Koshi River is, however, safe from danger, said Lakpa Chhiri Sherpa, the Spokesperson for the Khumbu Pasang Lhamu Rural Municipality. 

"The flood might have been caused by the bursting of a glacial lake or a landslide at the source of the Thame River," Sherpa said. Since the entire Thame area has been flooded, seven houses in that region are still in critical condition. 

To assess the damage, a team including the municipality's Chairman Mingmar Chhiri Sherpa and other representatives, who are currently in Kathmandu, are waiting for favourable weather conditions at the Tribhuvan Airport.

The flood has left the residents of the Solukhumbu and Khotang areas in distress.

Meanwhile, a landslide triggered by continuous rainfall has displaced two families in Khotang. The families of Sharda Rai and Birtaman Rai from Kepilasgadhi Rural Municipality-7, Sundel, Khotang, were displaced after a landslide occurred below their homes.

Five members of Sharda's family were displaced after the landslide eroded the land from below their house. Currently, Sharda has moved with her two sons and two daughters to a rented house, an hour away from their original location, said Ward Chairman Tej Kumar Rai.  

Similarly, two houses in Jyamire, Aiselukharka Rural Municipality-6, are at risk due to a landslide. The landslide, which started from the slope along the Ward Office–Salle road, has put the homes of Tilamaya Rai and Bishnu Kumar Rai at risk. The landslide has also washed away paddy fields, according to a local, Mani Ram Adhikari. Because of continuous rainfall on the night of August 14, the houses of Khila Bahadur Thapa Magar and Pushkar Niraula in Dube Kol, Rawabeshi Rural Municipality-5, are also at risk of a landslide.