Nepal Issues Fresh Flood Alert As Bhotekoshi River Rises, Death Toll Nears 800

Nepal Issues Fresh Flood Warnings As Bhotekoshi River Rises, Death Toll Reaches 788

Nepal issued fresh flood warnings on Sunday after water levels rose in the Bhotekoshi River, prompting authorities to urge residents in disaster-hit areas to remain on high alert as rescue and recovery operations continued following the catastrophic floods of August 26.

Emergency alerts were sent directly to people’s mobile phones early Sunday, triggering fresh concern in communities already devastated by the disaster.

The warnings came as rescue teams worked to reopen a major highway connecting Kathmandu with one of the worst-affected areas. Nepal’s disaster agency said the death toll had risen to 788, while 2,502 people remained missing.

Across the border in Tibet, Chinese authorities reported 16 deaths and 546 people missing, taking the combined death toll on both sides of the border to more than 800.

FRESH ALERTS AFTER WATER LEVELS RISE

The latest warnings followed information from Chinese authorities about increased water flow upstream, according to Dharam Raj Uprety, chief executive of Nepal’s National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

China’s state news agency Xinhua, citing the country’s water resources ministry, reported that a lake formed high in the mountains after Wednesday’s floods had largely drained.

However, authorities warned that the danger had not completely passed.

A crater located around 5.6 kilometres upstream was still considered a potential threat. Officials estimated that it contained around 1.4 million cubic metres of water and said the area needed close monitoring.

The renewed alerts have added to the distress of residents who have already faced repeated warnings since the initial disaster.

SURVIVORS RETURN TO DESTROYED HOMES

In Dhading, one of Nepal’s worst-hit districts, residents began returning to the remains of their homes to search for anything that could be salvaged.

Walls had collapsed or been swept away, while balconies and window frames were buried under thick layers of mud and debris. Survivors searched through the rubble for household possessions, cleaning whatever they could recover.

One resident even found his chickens alive among the destruction. He tied them up and placed them inside the cabin of his truck.

“Everything is finished. Nothing is left. Not even our home,” Dhading resident Sharmila Tamang told The Associated Press while searching through the debris.

At a major power plant badly damaged by the floods, workers began assessing the extent of the destruction on Sunday. The facility supplies electricity to more than 20,000 people across four districts.

In Galchhi, residents gathered on higher ground near a bridge as the swollen river rushed below. Huge rocks carried downstream during the earlier floods remained visible, while people on a suspension bridge were warned away with whistles.

Entire villages remained buried under thick grey-brown sediment, with homes, vehicles and farm machinery partially submerged. Sections of riverside rice terraces had also collapsed following landslides.

REPEATED WARNINGS ADD TO RESIDENTS’ DISTRESS

Many homes and businesses that survived the flooding remained without electricity, with damaged power poles and tangled wires scattered through the mud.

Residents said the repeated emergency alerts had become another source of anxiety as they were forced to prepare for possible evacuations again and again.

“Sometimes they say a flood is coming, then we have to run again to higher ground, even at night. There is also rain,” resident Govind Shreshta told AP.

Shreshta said he was particularly exhausted because he had to carry his elderly parents to safety.

“It’s really difficult for me. I have a 72-year-old father and 70-year-old mom. I must carry them, and I am exhausted,” he said.

The destruction of major concrete bridges and smaller suspension bridges has also left communities isolated.

“Those who are there are now stuck there. Those who are here are stuck here. It’s going to be very difficult,” said 47-year-old Sattan Singh Tamang, who was working near a bridge when the floods struck.

HUNDREDS OF FOREIGNERS AMONG THE MISSING

The missing include hundreds of people from more than a dozen countries who were in the region for employment, mountain travel or pilgrimage.

Chinese state media reported that 261 foreigners were missing in Tibet, including more than 100 Nepalis and citizens of several other countries.

The devastating flash floods began after a glacial collapse in the high Himalayas.

Scientists examining satellite imagery said bedrock beneath a glacier had collapsed, carrying part of the glacier with it. The enormous rockfall was powerful enough to register as a magnitude 5.2 earthquake.

The resulting surge of rocks and meltwater swelled rivers downstream, sending a torrent through valleys in Tibet and Nepal and destroying buildings, bridges and large sections of land.

NEPAL CALLS FOR GLOBAL CLIMATE ACTION

Nepal’s Foreign Minister Shisir Khanal has called for a stronger international response to climate change, arguing that the country is suffering a disproportionate share of its effects.

“Despite having only 0.1 per cent contribution to global emissions, people of Nepal have become major victims of climate change,” Khanal said on Saturday.

Scientists have cautioned that it is too early to establish a direct link between global warming and the latest disaster. However, rising global temperatures driven by human activities, including the burning of oil, gas and coal, are known to increase the likelihood of certain climate-related hazards.

The Himalayan region is also warming significantly faster than many other parts of the world, increasing concerns over the growing risks faced by communities living in vulnerable mountain areas.

As rescue operations continue, authorities remain on alert for further flooding while thousands of people await news of missing relatives and friends.