Nepal authorities issue fresh flood alert as debris-laden water flow rises in Bhote Koshi

Kathmandu: Nepali authorities on Friday issued a fresh warning about the risk of another flood, stating that they had received a report of a lake outburst in the Tibetan region of China that could trigger fresh flooding in Nepal.

“Information has been received that the flow of water mixed with debris and mud has increased again on Friday in the same area of the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa, where a major flood occurred on August 26,” the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) said in a notice on Friday.

“As there is a risk of another flood, all personnel engaged in rescue and relief operations along the banks of the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers, as well as those remaining in high-risk areas for various reasons, are strongly urged to exercise the highest level of caution and immediately move to a safe location if any danger is observed.”

Nepal Police also issued a warning, saying they had received a report of a lake outburst in the Tibetan region and urging people and those involved in rescue operations to remain alert to the danger.

The authorities issued the fresh warning as the country continues to reel from the devastation caused by the massive flood on August 26, which killed at least 469 people, while 977 people remain out of contact, NDRRMA said earlier on Friday. Of those out of contact, 517 are foreign nationals.

Earlier, citing information received from the Chinese side, the Water Resources Research and Development Centre under the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation said that the lake formed at the site where the river was blocked had not yet fully drained.

“Therefore, the possibility of an additional surge in water flow in the Upper Bhote Koshi area cannot be completely ruled out at this time. Continuous monitoring of the Bhote Koshi–Trishuli river system is therefore necessary,” it said in a statement issued on Thursday night.

It said that as the situation at the site where the river was blocked in the Upper Bhote Koshi area had not yet returned completely to normal, the risk in the Bhote Koshi, Trishuli and Narayani river systems could not yet be considered to have fully subsided.

Amid the risk of another flood, authorities have urged security personnel deployed for rescue and relief operations along the Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers to remain on high alert.

IANS