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🇳🇵 Nepal /Energy & Infrastructure

Flash floods tear through Salyan villages, damaging roads, water supply projects and farms

From Kathmandu Post · (1h ago) English Critical tone

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

TLDR

  • Torrential rain triggered flash floods in western Nepal's Salyan district on Saturday, damaging roads, water supply projects, and farms.
  • Over two dozen roads, irrigation canals, and water pipelines were washed away, impacting hundreds of households and disrupting transportation.
  • Farmland planted with wheat, vegetables, and oranges was also damaged, with authorities still assessing the full extent of the losses.

The Sharada river and its tributaries unleashed their fury on Salyan district this past Saturday, inundating villages and devastating crucial infrastructure. Two hours of relentless rain were enough to trigger flash floods that have left a trail of destruction across Bagchaur Municipality and Chhatreshwari Rural Municipality.

floods had severely damaged around three dozen roads, both old and newly constructed, within the ward.

— Yatra Bahadur DangiWard chair of Bagchaur-9, describing the extent of road damage in his area.

Local communities are grappling with the immediate aftermath, as dozens of roads, vital irrigation canals, and essential drinking water systems lie in ruins. The floods have not only cut off transportation routes, forcing hundreds of families to trek long distances for water, but have also swept away farmland crucial for the livelihoods of many residents. Crops like wheat, vegetables, and oranges, ready for harvest, have been submerged or washed away, spelling significant economic hardship.

four drinking water schemes were affected after water sources were buried and pipelines and tanks were damaged.

— Yatra Bahadur DangiWard chair of Bagchaur-9, detailing the impact on water infrastructure.

This disaster highlights the vulnerability of our region to extreme weather events. While the immediate focus is on assessing the damage and beginning repairs, it's clear that more needs to be done to build resilient infrastructure. The loss of a tractor, a traditional water mill, and even a funeral pyre underscores the chaotic and indiscriminate nature of the floods. The disruption to drinking water sources is a particularly pressing concern, leaving hundreds of households without access to this basic necessity.

Farmers have also suffered losses in ginger, potato and orange farms due to the prolonged rainfall.

— Yatra Bahadur DangiWard chair of Bagchaur-9, highlighting agricultural losses.

Authorities are still compiling the full extent of the losses, but the impact on daily life is already profound. The destruction of projects like the Himchaur drinking water project, completed just last year, is a stark reminder of the resources lost and the urgent need for better planning and maintenance in the face of a changing climate. The community's resilience will be tested as they work to rebuild and recover from this devastating event.

the floods damaged the Himchaur drinking water project, completed only last year at Rs5 million.

— Gyan Bahadur OliChair of ward 6, specifying damage to a recently completed water project.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Kathmandu Post. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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