RASUWA-BHOTEKOSHI FLOOD

Situation Summary — Rural Reconstruction Nepal (RRN)

For internal and partner circulation

  1   WHAT HAPPENED 

A low-pressure system from the Bay of Bengal brought heavy to very heavy rain across much of Nepal from 25 to 28 September (Ashwin 9–12). NDRRMA has opened a separate situation report series for the event. Its first report, issued on 28 September, records 542 incidents nationwide, with 27 deaths, 4 missing, 8 injured and 1,082 families affected. Landslides caused most of the deaths (20 of 27) and all 4 missing, while floods affected the most families (586) and fully destroyed the most houses (178 of 227).

The worst flooding came between 1:01 AM and 9:07 AM on 27 September, when NDRRMA describes unprecedented flooding on the Banganga, Kali Gandaki, Lal Bakaiya and Narayani rivers. About 2,000 people were evacuated, and helicopter rescues were carried out in Jajarkot, Myagdi, Baglung, Dailekh, Humla, Mugu and Rasuwa. By 28 September, water levels in the Narayani and other major rivers were receding and NDRRMA reported the situation moving towards normal. Separately, four bodies have been found at Himlung Himal (Manang), where 22 Nepali nationals had travelled to set up a camp; aerial search continues.

  2   HEADLINE FIGURES (NATIONWIDE, 25–28 SEPTEMBER) 

  3   EARLY WARNING AND PREPAREDNESS 

NDRRMA and the Center for Hydrology and Water Resources Research began tracking the system on 23 September. Flood forecasting lead time was extended from 3 to 5 days for major rivers and from 24 to 48 hours for flash floods in smaller streams. NDRRMA’s Situation Room ran continuously for 76 hours. About 980,000 targeted flood warning SMS messages and over 5,000 responder messages were sent, English alerts reached around 9,000 trekkers and mountaineers, and warning messages played as ring-back tones on Nepal Telecom and Ncell for 47 hours. Vehicle movement was restricted and schools closed in high-risk areas. 186 rainfall stations recorded over 100 mm across the four days.

  4   IMPACT ON THE RASUWA–BHOTEKOSHI RESPONSE AREA 

• Trishuli and Narayani: The Trishuli reached critical levels on 25 September, and the Narayani at Devghat exceeded its danger level on 26 September. The Narayani was among the rivers with unprecedented flooding on 27 September. Devghat is a key debris-clearance and rope-crossing site in the Bhotekoshi response.
• Rasuwa: At 3:00 PM on 25 September, authorities met specifically on transport regulation and preparedness in Rasuwa and other high-risk districts. On 27 September, 2 patients were airlifted from Kalika Rural Municipality Ward 5, Rasuwa.
• No reported damage: The damage table and response table list no incidents, casualties or displacement in Rasuwa, Nuwakot or Dhading. The district map is in Nepali and does not clearly show any, so the corridor appears to have avoided major new damage, but this should be confirmed with district sources.
• Bhotekoshi baseline (26 September): With no Bhotekoshi update since 26 September, the latest figures are 1,453 deaths, 5,285 missing and 1,109 people in 21 holding centres, 805 of them in Rasuwa. Search and rescue at all hydropower sites had moved to Nepal Army standby for rain-related emergencies.

  5   DAMAGE AND RESPONSE ELSEWHERE 

• Manang: About 600 people are sheltering at a Nepal Army camp and City Hall in Chame and Naso. There is still no contact with Manang Nyesyang Rural Municipality in Upper Manang, and the extent of damage there is unknown.
• Myagdi: 78 people were airlifted from Paudar (Annapurna RM-5) to a school, and households in five local units were relocated to schools and mothers’ group buildings. The District Disaster Management Committee has given local governments 15 days to identify damaged and high-risk settlements and designate relocation sites.
• Baglung and Parbat: Displaced people are in schools, tents and relatives’ homes. Baglung has requested 300 tarpaulins and needs fuel after the Kaligandaki bridge was washed away. Parbat needs relief, food and reconstruction support.
• Nawalparasi (Susta RM-5): 625 people are in a school and 45 in a holding centre, with rehabilitation needed for 70 houses. No immediate food need was reported.

  6   INFORMATION GAPS 

• Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi series: NDRRMA did not publish Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi flood updates on 27 or 28 September and issued the heavy rainfall report instead, so the latest Bhotekoshi figures remain those of 26 September. It is not yet clear whether the daily series will resume.
• Himlung Himal: It is not stated whether the four bodies found at Himlung Himal are included in the 27 deaths.
• Duplicate entry: The response table lists Susta RM Ward 5 twice, under Nawalparasi West and East, with identical figures; NDRRMA itself marks the second as “as stated in the source”. Counts should not be added together.

  7   RRN FIELD RESPONSE 

• PSEAH orientation, 28 September (Ashwin 12): RRN, with the support of Shapla Neer Japan, organised an orientation on Protection from Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment (PSEAH) for volunteers in Bidur Municipality, Nuwakot. It was attended by 19 volunteers from across the community, including the NGO Federation, the Nepal Red Cross Society, youth clubs, Female Community Health Volunteers (FCHVs), local health personnel and volunteers from the affected communities.
• Next steps: The trained volunteers will now mobilise within their own communities to run awareness campaigns on safety, dignity and protection during the ongoing flood response.
• Fit with the wider response: NDRRMA’s Protection Cluster reporting counts 102 frontline workers oriented on PSEA. RRN’s orientation extends this to community-level volunteers in Bidur, where RRN and Shapla Neer distributed beds, mattresses and pillows to 200 families in Ward 1 on 24 September.

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.