POKHARA: Saturday night floods in Kagbeni village of Mustang district resulted in the complete destruction of 29 houses. An additional thirteen houses suffered partial damages. The flood also washed away a motorable bridge, three foot bridges, an excavator, three motorcycles, and two cars.
“Kagbeni, a region rarely affected by rainfall, now bears a deserted appearance after the flooding,” Anup KC, the Chief District Officer of Mustang, said.
He added that some 40 individuals, who lost their homes in the flood, have been accommodated at a community building in Ward-4 of Baragung Muktikshetra Rural Municipality. A meeting of the District Disaster Management Committee held on Monday has decided that the rural municipality will oversee their food, shelter, and other necessities, KC added. “Likewise, 150 workers displaced from various sectors, including construction and agriculture, have been brought to Jomsom.”
Rinjing Namgyal Gurung, the chairperson of the municipality, stated that rescue teams are in the process of relocating goods from inundated houses to safer locations.
The flood in the Kagkhola River, a tributary of the Kaligandaki River, entered the Kagbeni settlement at around 8 pm on Sunday, inflicting significant damage on the tourist village. The area had been receiving rainfall for the past several days.
There were no casualties as people quickly evacuated to safer areas upon receiving flood alerts. “The timely dissemination of information about the flood in the Jhong River, a major tributary of the Kagkhola River, helped to avert casualties,” KC added.
According to KC, mountain river floods often carry debris, rocks, and boulders, amplifying the extent of damage.
The flood ravaged structures including the ward office, area police office, public guest house (dharmashala), community house, mother’s group building, Prabhu Bank building, youth club building, and a community school building. The flood also obliterated a motorable bridge connecting Upper Mustang.
Meanwhile, the Gandaki Province Government is gearing up to dispatch relief materials to Mustang. Preparations are underway to send tarpaulin sheets, blankets, food, medicines, road-clearing equipment, and 3,000 liters of diesel.
Chief Minister Surendra Raj Pandey asserted that the provincial government has promptly initiated rescue, relief, and rehabilitation efforts for the affected victims.
