RASUWA-BHOTEKOSHI FLOOD

Situation Summary — Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN)

For internal and partner circulation

  1   WHAT HAPPENED  

The first day of the forecast heavy rain produced a quiet report with signs of the weather’s effect. Nepal Army helicopter flights to affected areas fell from 30 to 1, rock cutting and bridge work on the Bidur–Betrawati section is noted as affected by rainfall, and the District Administration Office in Dhading restricted vehicle movement from 8:00 PM on 24 September to 5:00 AM on 25 September. Security forces mobilised fell for the first time, from 20,929 to 20,477 (−452), consistent with the search and rescue drawdown.

On 24 September (Ashwin 8), the Central Monsoon Response Command Post held a virtual meeting with the district command posts of Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading. It reviewed search, rescue and relief operations, worked on a definitive timeline and exit strategy for the emergency effort, and discussed temporary housing, including identifying beneficiaries and entering them into the Information Management System. It also discussed closer collaboration with development partners, organisations and the private sector on recovery, reconstruction and rehabilitation, which is directly relevant to agencies such as RRN. The death toll is unchanged at 1,453, and missing fell by 94 to 5,550, the largest single-day drop in this series. RRN went ahead with field activity in Nuwakot despite the rain (see Section 9).

  2   HEADLINE FIGURES  

  3   CASUALTIES AND MISSING  

District death counts and the deceased breakdown (336 female, 585 male, 532 body remains) are unchanged. Missing fell by 94, and once again the whole decline is in Nuwakot’s “people from other districts” line (949 → 855). That line has fallen from 1,179 on 19 September to 855 today, a drop of 324 in six reports, while Rasuwa’s two components (1,674 and 1,840), Nuwakot locals (657) and foreign nationals (636) have not moved for three days. The verification exercise is so far reducing only one category, which suggests Rasuwa’s figures, the largest share of the total, have not yet been through the same cleaning process.

  4   SEARCH AND RESCUE AT HYDROPOWER SITES  

The search and rescue table is identical to 23 September. Rasuwagadhi, Langtang, Chilime and Trishuli 3A remain formally stood down after joint inspections. Upper Trishuli-1 Adit 3 remains suspended, with search continuing in other sectors, and Trishuli 3B is still described as active with the residential quarters not located. No new recoveries were reported at any site.

  5   DEAD BODY MANAGEMENT AND FORENSICS  

All figures are unchanged: 1,453 recovered, 1,333 stored underground and 112 handed to families, leaving the same 8 bodies not yet stored or handed over. DNA samples are unchanged at 1,329 from remains and 2,035 from relatives (3,364 in total). Forensic capacity is still given as 33 teams of 53 personnel, with 3 specialised teams of 11 experts active in the field.

  6   HOLDING CENTRES AND HOUSING SUPPORT  

Occupancy fell by 5 to 1,107, all in Rasuwa (804 → 799), ending three days of increases there. Nuwakot (187) and Dhading (121) are unchanged. The dashboard now shows centre counts alongside people (Rasuwa 9, Nuwakot 8, Dhading 4), matching the highlights. The Alternative Housing and Livelihood Grant is repeated unchanged, and today’s command post meeting put beneficiary identification and data entry for temporary housing on the agenda.

  7   SERVICES AND INFRASTRUCTURE  

• Roads: New: an alternative route through the Fisling Bridge emerging at the Benighat Bridge is planned, with the contract process underway. Dhading’s overnight vehicle restriction (8 PM, 24 September to 5 AM, 25 September) is the first weather-related traffic measure in the reports. Bidur–Betrawati stays at 9.5 of 10km, with work affected by rain. Krishnabhir and Sheetal Bazar remain two-way.
• Education: Temporary learning centres rose from 52 to 53, ECD kits from 25 to 30 and student kits from 2,698 to 3,266 (+568). Children reached with MHPSS and PFA rose from 551 to 730.
• Health: Under treatment fell to 7 (TUTH 4 → 3). All other health figures, including the “last 24 hours” counts (171 EMT, 777 holding-centre, 335 psychosocial), are identical to 23 September.
• Communications and electricity: The line on the Ncell outage at Gatlang and Goljung has been dropped without saying whether the sites are restored; tower totals are unchanged at 76 of 78. The same 86 households in Gosaikunda remain without electricity.

  8   ONGOING RISK AND INFORMATION GAPS  

• Weather impact: Helicopter flights fell to 1 and work at Betrawati is affected by rain, with no further detail on conditions in Rasuwa. The DHM forecast covers 24 to 27 September, so access to upper Rasuwa may be disrupted for several more days.
• Missing figures: Verification has so far cut only Nuwakot’s other-district line; Rasuwa’s figures have not changed in three days.
• Stale or dropped sections: Health figures are unchanged from 23 September. WASH and Food Security sections are absent today, and the protection section is absent for a second day.
• Holding-centre split: The health section still lists 6 centres in Rasuwa, 9 in Nuwakot, 3 in Dhading and 3 in Kathmandu, against 9, 8 and 4 on the dashboard.
• Unresolved from earlier: Whether Upper Trishuli-1’s “6 bodies” are additional to the 31, and the Langtang row still describing Upper Trishuli-1’s Adit 3.
  
  

    9   RRN FIELD RESPONSE  

  • Bidur-1, Nuwakot, 24 September (Ashwin 8): RRN, with support from Shapla Neer Japan, provided emergency household support to 200 flood-affected families in Ward 1 of Bidur Municipality, one of the areas hit hardest by the flood. Each family received a wooden bed, a mattress and a pillow. The distribution took place in the presence of Shapla Neer Japan representatives, Bidur Municipality Mayor Rajan Shrestha, Ward Chairperson Lelin Ranjit and RRN’s response team. Bidur-1 alone has reported 92 people missing.
  • Danda Gaun, 24 September (Ashwin 8): RRN unloaded relief items at Danda Gaun, Ward No. 2.
  • Working through the rain: As planned, RRN proceeded with field activities on 24 September, the first day of the heavy rain forecast for 24 to 27 September and will continue with distributions and other activities in the coming days.
  • Rasuwa: Earlier distributions in Gosaikunda Rural Municipality Ward 5 have reached 338 households (hygiene kits and food on 17 September; kitchen sets on 21 September), with kitchen sets for about 179 households remaining in stock at RRN’s Dhunche warehouse.
  • Reporting to NDRRMA: Neither the Gosaikunda Ward 5 distributions nor today’s Bidur-1 distribution appear yet in NDRRMA’s 5W data, which lists RRN only in Uttargaya. Both should be submitted (5W contact: 9849281097).

  RRN’s flood response is supported by Welthungerhilfe (WHH) in Rasuwa and Shapla Neer Japan in Nuwakot, and delivered through district and municipal coordination structures, with Aasaman Nepal as partner in Rasuwa.