Kathmandu. Environment journalist and river researcher Ramesh Bhusal has said that the floods and landslides in the Budhi Gandaki River in Gorkha might have caused the river to suddenly open after being blocked for some time.
He said the incidents of major disasters that took place in Melamchi, Trishuli and Budhigandaki areas in the last five years had highlighted the need of regular monitoring and effective early warning system in the high mountainous areas. Bhusal, who is also the South Asia Coordinator of the Earth Journalism Network, told Nepal News Bank that the rain could not be the only reason for the floods.
“Now there is talk that there is a flood due to rain, but if it had rained, the hydropower companies say that it would not have rained anywhere till 12 hours ago. So, it is not because of water,” he said.
According to him, the possible reason for the flood could be that the landslide stopped the flow of the river and then the blocked water suddenly came out. He said that there is also a possibility that a small glacial lake may have burst, so further study is needed to find out the exact cause of the incident.
He said, “According to the initial estimate, the landslide blocked the river for a while and then the water suddenly opened up. The other is that a small glacial lake may have burst.” But according to the information received so far, it is said that it was blocked by landslides. He said that in the last five years, major incidents of floods and disasters have occurred in Melamchi, Trishuli and Budhi Gandaki areas, which are within an air distance of about 100 kilometers, and this should be taken seriously.
Bhusal said that such incidents should not be linked only to rain and monsoon. According to him, landslides, rock falls, avalanches and other natural processes in high mountain areas can also cause major disasters.
He said, “Looking at Rasuwa and the current incident, big accidents are taking place even when there is no rain. Big incidents started happening not due to monsoon-related reasons, but also due to reasons other than monsoon. Stones and rocks are falling. The same thing has happened in Rasuwa and Melamchi, not because of heavy rains. He said that not enough information about the changes taking place in the high mountainous areas, lack of necessary resources and focusing more on the issue of rain or non-rain are also challenges.
Bhusal said that effective early warning can be given only if the possible causes and risks of disaster can be identified before the disaster occurs. He said that a monitoring system and a mechanism to provide immediate information about the risks in the high mountainous areas is necessary. According to him, in order to identify the cause of the floods, a study should be conducted to find out whether the flow was blocked by landslides in the upper riparian areas of the river, small tributaries and streams. Stating that further
technical study was needed to ascertain the real cause of Budhigandaki floods, he stressed the need of regular monitoring of changes taking place in the high mountainous region, pre-identification of risks and development of an effective early warning system.
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