Hemendra Sharma | Kathmandu20 minutes ago
A sudden flood in Nepal’s Bhote Koshi and Trishuli rivers on the morning of August 26 caused widespread destruction.
After the devastating floods that hit Nepal on August 26, questions are now being raised over the timing of the alerts. According to the weather department, the Rasuwa district administration received information about the floods from China at 9 am. Following this, an SMS alert was sent at 9:15 am to around six lakh people living on both sides of the river.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister’s Office says it received information about the floods from the district administration as early as 8:40 am. The SMS alert was sent to people at 9:35 am. On the other hand, local residents claim they received warnings about the floods from friends and relatives as early as 7:30 am.
Amid these conflicting claims over the timing of the alerts, questions are being raised about the role of the warning system. As of Saturday, the death toll from the floods had reached 682, while more than 3,000 people remain missing. Of these, 275 are Indians. So far, 7,514 people have been rescued, including 163 foreigners.
A torrent of debris and rocks came down with the water in the Bhote Koshi River along the Nepal-Tibet border.
Eyewitnesses say they received information as early as 7:30 am
According to 36-year-old Trishuli resident Ramesh Rijal, a friend living near the China border called him at 7:30 am and informed him about the massive floods. Rijal did not take the warning seriously and continued preparing to send his children to school.
At 9:20 am, he even recorded a video of the construction of his new house. Shortly afterwards, as panic spread, he moved to a safe location with his family.
Rajendra Dawadi, principal of Tribhuvan Secondary Co-Educational School, said a colleague had received information about the floods from the upper reaches of the river. He then instructed the school staff to keep ringing the bell continuously.
The school has around 1,600 students. According to Dawadi, the school was swept away by the floods right before their eyes, although all the children were rescued safely. They were later evacuated by helicopter.
Water moved towards the market at 9:36 am; everything was swept away in 2 minutes
Jaleshwar Sahani, a Bihar native who runs a scrap business in Trishuli market, captured images of the flood devastation. He said his brother, who was in Rasuwagadhi, called at around 9:15 am and warned him about the massive flood. Sahani then moved to higher ground with his family.
Sahani took a photograph at 9:36 am showing floodwaters moving towards Trishuli market. Just two minutes later, at 9:38 am, another photograph showed the entire Trishuli market swept away by the flood. The devastation was so rapid that the entire scene changed within two minutes.
River data system shut down 13 minutes after the earthquake
According to the weather department, a magnitude 4.4 earthquake struck at 8:37 am on August 26. Thirteen minutes later, at 8:50 am, the data receiving system that measured the water level of the Bhote Koshi River stopped working.
Opposition questions China’s satellite system
Nepali Congress deputy leader Abhishek Pratap Shah said China’s satellite system monitors glaciers. Therefore, China should have provided timely information about the danger.
This has also raised questions over why the flood warning did not reach the local administration and people in time.
