San Francisco Frontiers - After latest Nepal flood, survivors fear for future

The Budhi Gandaki river that once sustained his family tore throughcentral Gorkha district on Sunday, leaving a trail of destruction along the way.

The flooding, which swept away 200 houses and five bridges, is the latest in a series of recent natural disasters in Nepal, renewing fears among vulnerable mountain communities.

In August, a catastrophic flood in northern Rasuwa district killed more than 1,400 people and left over 5,000 missing, highlighting the risks posed by Nepal's unstable mountain terrain.

Gurung, 33, said his shop and cattle were washed away by the swollen river as he looked on.

"Everything is gone now," Gurung told AFP. "I now need to look for an alternative place to live."

A trekking guide for nearly two decades, Gurung said he had never seen so many landslides along the Manaslu circuit where he had led countless tours.

"In the future, no settlements built along the banks of rivers flowing from the snowy mountains will survive," he said.

Along the Budhi Gandaki, the scale of Sunday's flood is emerging as residents pick through the mud in search of whatever can be salvaged.

No deaths have been confirmed, but at least six people are missing and three hydropower plants were damaged, according to disaster officials.

"I had a banana farm. That is also gone," said Lal Kurmari Thapa. "We are left with nothing but a small hut, which was spared."

Others, she said, lost even more.

"Some don't even have a sheet of roofing left. Budhi Gandaki is flowing over it. They don't even have clothes."

- Minimising risks -

Nepal's rugged geography has long made it vulnerable to floods and landslides.

But recurring disasters have heightened anxieties in communities living close to rivers descending from the Himalayas, where scientists warn warming temperatures are increasing risks.

The Budhi Gandaki flood came less than two months after the devastating ice-and-rock collapse in Rasuwa district unleashed a torrent of water and debris.

Scientists said climate change played a significant role in that disaster.

Last month, heavy monsoon rains triggered floods and landslides that killed at least 21 people across the country.

Researchers say the disasters underscore the complex dangers facing Himalayan river systems.

"Understanding what triggered this flood will be critical for reducing future risks and strengthening resilience," said Pema Gyamtsho, director general of the Kathmandu-based International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development.

Preliminary findings by Nepal's disaster authority suggest the latest flood was also triggered by an avalanche of rock and ice.

"This year there have been back-to-back disasters, and climate change plays a role," disaster authority chief Dharam Raj Uprety said.

"The frequency shows that it has become critical that we monitor our mountains and make our early warning systems more effective."

Authorities said work is underway to strengthen monitoring and adaptation measures so that risks will be minimised when the next disaster strikes.

For survivors such as Dil Kumari Thapa Magar, however, the threat no longer feels distant.

Weeks ago, she watched the Rasuwa disaster unfold on her phone screen.

It has now arrived at her doorstep.

"We had closely observed the flooding in Rasuwa. It was quite far away, but we were very worried when we saw it," she said.

"Now, we have become victims of the flood ourselves."

O.Anderson--SFF