Rasuwa–Bhotekoshi Flood: Situation Summary
From NDRRMA Situation Report #15, as of 19:00, Bhadra 20, 2083 (5 September 2026) — compared against the 18:30 update of 4 September
Casualties. 1,331 bodies recovered as of 7:00 PM, up from 1,294 on 4 September. By district: Chitwan (360, up from 359), Nawalparasi East (222, up from 221), Nawalparasi West (219, up from 212), Nuwakot (195, up from 184), Rasuwa (156, up from 140), Gorkha (74, up from 73), Dhading (67, unchanged), Tanahun (38, unchanged). Figures include unidentified remains. 98 bodies have been handed over to families, up from 96. NDRRMA records that its own 12:00 noon update today overstated the number of bodies found and that the figure has been corrected in this release — the first such correction acknowledged in the series.
Missing Persons. 4,896 as of 7:00 PM, down from 5,053 on 4 September — the first fall recorded in this series. Nuwakot (2,340, source: DEOC, unchanged for a third consecutive round), Rasuwa (1,967, source: DEOC, down from 2,130), together 4,307 or 88 per cent of the total; foreign nationals (589, up from 583) at 12 per cent. Approximately 100 security personnel and staff are among those out of contact. NDRRMA gives no explanation for the Rasuwa reduction, which is far larger than the district’s increase in recovered bodies over the same period and appears to reflect a reconciliation of duplicate or resolved cases rather than the tracing of individuals.
Health Response. 316 patients treated across 19 health facilities, up from 311 on 4 September: 210 discharged (up from 207), 72 under treatment (up from 70), 30 referred (unchanged) and 4 deaths during treatment (unchanged). Treated by Nepal Army: 3,297, up from 3,266. Treated by APF: 2,316, up from 2,083. Combined injured figure as headlined: 5,929, up from 5,663. A 22-member psychosocial team and APF mobile medical services reported on 4 September are not restated in this round.
Search and Rescue. Security personnel mobilised: 21,465 (Nepal Army 9,287, Nepal Police 7,975, APF 4,203), up from 21,421. Rescued to date: 13,101, up from 13,095. Air rescue: 275 foreign nationals and 3,687 Nepali citizens. Total air operations: 973 cumulative, 92 flown today, up from 881. Private-sector flights from Kathmandu: 129, unchanged. Rescue totals by force are given as Nepal Army 4,662, Nepal Police 4,068 and APF 4,871 in joint operations, with 304 foreign nationals rescued.
Search and Rescue at Tunnel Sites. Three live rescues are reported today. A woman aged 64 was recovered alive from a buried house at Betrawati, Bidur Municipality Ward 10, and taken to Shree Birendra Hospital, Chhauni. At Trishuli 3-A, two people were rescued alive and one body recovered, with the search now 160 metres inside the tunnel, advanced from approximately 100 metres. At an audit tunnel of Upper Trishuli-1, an infrared and thermal-drone search initially found no signs of life and the Chinese team had turned back, after which one Chinese national was rescued alive from the same tunnel. Search depths are otherwise unchanged from 4 September: Rasuwagadhi 275 metres, Chilime 170 metres, Langtang 150 metres, Trishuli 3-B 30 metres. Effort has shifted from advancing to enabling — a mud pump, generator and water pump deployed at Chilime, a mini excavator air dropped by sling and assembled, an excavator helicoptered to Trishuli 3-B, and a CQRT reaching the Rasuwagadhi powerhouse and control point, where moving heavy equipment further is constrained by terrain. A Tactical Headquarters based in Nuwakot has established forward bases across Nuwakot and Rasuwa. The Nepal Army and a Korean expert team conducted further reconnaissance at Mailung Khola.
Relief Supplies. Trucks dispatched from Kathmandu: 83 cumulative, up from 77. Bolero vehicles: 38, unchanged. Relief delivered via 9 helicopter flights, unchanged for a third round. APF relief flights within Nuwakot and Rasuwa: 173 cumulative, unchanged. Ten cargo vehicles dispatched today. The composition of the Tribhuvan International Airport dispatch has shifted markedly: where 4 September carried bulk food and household items, today’s consignment is dominated by public
health information materials — approximately 6,800 food hygiene posters, 8,600 cholera prevention posters, 1,500 booklets on amoebic infection and water, and chlorination and SODIS flipcharts — alongside 1,750 buckets, 1,058 hygiene kits, 3,399 mugs, 2,250 units of PIYUSH liquid, 20 bags of bleaching powder, 150 tents and 150 solar chargers to Dhading. A fourth dispatch destination is named in the source only as a private individual at Tokha-6, Dhapasi, receiving most of the food and household items; this should be verified before onward circulation.
Cash Support. Unchanged for a fifth consecutive round: Rasuwa NPR 10 million (~USD 65,600); Nuwakot NPR 10 million (~USD 65,600); Dhading NPR 5 million (~USD 32,800); 15 affected local governments NPR 135 million (~USD 885,800). Total released: NPR 160 million (~USD 1,049,900). Fuel Supplies. Stock reported at diesel 57,000 litres, petrol 20,000 litres and aviation fuel 13,000 litres; the geographic scope of this stock is not stated in this round, so it is not directly comparable with the Nuwakot-specific figures of 4 September. Cumulative supply to the affected area from Bhadra 10 to Bhadra 20 (26 August to 5 September) is reported at 218,000 litres of diesel, 120,000 litres of petrol and 111,000 litres of aviation fuel, with only one specialised vehicle available for aviation fuel transport. A total of 457 LPG cylinders have been sent as subsidised support.
Shelter. 39 holding centres across three districts. Rasuwa 12 centres, 960 people; Nuwakot 25 centres; Dhading 2 centres, 238 people. The Nuwakot occupancy figure is given twice in the same report and does not agree: 2,714 in the Highlights section and 2,914 in the dashboard, placing the three-district total at either 3,912 or 4,112. Dhading is now recorded with 2 centres, down from 3 on 4 September.
Communication. Nepal Telecom: 117 of 120 towers operational, up from 116, with Chandanbari restored. Ncell: 76 of 78, unchanged. Sites still awaiting restoration — NTC: Timure, Chilime Khola, Trishuli 3B; Ncell: Timure, Uttargaya-1. 30 satellite phones (20 from ITU, 10 from Ncell) remain with NDRRMA and 29 satellite internet terminals (25 Ncell, 4 DishHome) are deployed via the Rasuwa and Nuwakot District Administration Offices. Additional emergency hotline 1234 lines have been added at Rasuwa DEOC (2) and Nuwakot DEOC (1). Internet service has been restored at Dhikure, Batar, Bidur, Chaughada, Sera and Trishuli in Nuwakot and at Galchhi, Khanikhola, Charaudi, Malekhu and Adamghat in Dhading; no Rasuwa restoration is listed.
Electricity and Energy. Household supply is now reported for all three districts: Dhading 99.8 per cent restored (approximately 120 households without power, of 83,642); Nuwakot 96.7 per cent (2,273 households without power, of 68,679, improved from 94.33 per cent and 3,823 households on 4 September); Rasuwa approximately 78 per cent of 14,281 households. NDRRMA notes that an exact remaining-household count for Rasuwa is not possible because a preliminary estimate indicates over 700 houses were washed away. 13 office-use and 500 household-use solar systems have been dispatched via the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre; 1,268 Rasuwa households have been identified for solar distribution given the expected length of grid restoration, with air-lifting of panels described as necessary.
Access and Infrastructure. Devighat–Dhunge remains fully open. Bidur–Betrawati has improved marginally to 8 of 10 kilometres operational, with 0.5 kilometres of hard rock being cut, but
machinery sinking on the new track and swampy conditions on the old track are reported as ongoing problems. On the Prithvi Highway, Krishnabhir remains fully obstructed by toe cutting with a 250- metre hillside track opened and widening under way; at Parewa Bhir, traffic is now closed daily from 6 AM to 6 PM for repair, a deterioration from 4 September when the section was operational, and one-way traffic operates at Shital Bazar where the road has subsided. On the Tribhuvan Highway, traffic is one-way near a landslide at Patlewan and the Nagdhunga tunnel route is operational. At Devighat, a 55-person team has completed the setting-out survey for the 55-metre Bailey bridge over the Tadi River and pole placement has begun. On the Rasuwa alternative route via Dhikure and the Pasang Lhamu Highway, gravelling is to follow track repair with traffic expected to resume from the day after tomorrow. An EOD team completed metal detection and visual search across approximately 300 metres around the Devighat security base, and explosive materials stored in a bunker at the Syafrubesi security base were located and secured. Temporary rope crossings (tuin) have been installed at suitable locations in Rasuwa and Nuwakot to ease relief distribution.
Water Supply and Sanitation. Reported for the first time in this series. A contact office and focal point have been established at Gajuri, Dhading, by the Department of Water Supply and Sewerage Management. A 5 KVA diesel generator and 1,000 metres of plastic pipe have been handed over to the Bidur Water Supply Committee. KUKL and KVWSMB are distributing clean drinking water to affected areas by 6,000-litre tankers.
Education. Also reported for the first time. A rapid damage survey using standardised forms and the KoBo/ODK mobile application, led by the Department of Education, is ongoing; damage data has been received for 16 schools (Nuwakot 12, Dhading 3, Rasuwa 1). This does not reconcile with the assessment of 4 September, which already counted 18 damaged schools. Temporary Learning Centres of two types, tent/temporary and semi-permanent, will be built once transitional housing locations are confirmed. One set of educational materials has been distributed at the Bidur shelter and partner organisations have been approached for further supplies. Already-transferred local-level budget under the textbook heading is to be used to replace textbooks lost by students. Psychosocial counselling is being provided to affected students and teachers, and coordination with the Protection Cluster is under way to identify and manage children who have lost their guardians. Damaged schools are to be rebuilt on the Build Back Better principle once survey reports are complete.
Coordination. NDRRMA’s Situation Room maintains direct daily contact with every local level and ward to prepare a municipality-level report card covering status and needs. A daily Command Post meeting and a Mobilization Team briefing review assigned terms of reference, completed work, challenges and solutions; unlike 4 September, this round gives no meeting number, chair or
decisions. National and international media personnel were taken on an observation visit to flood affected areas, and the national flag has been re-established in the border area.
Not Restated in This Round
The initial physical damage assessment introduced on 4 September (7,570 private houses, 48 government structures, 18 schools, 7 health facilities, 55 kilometres of road, 37 motorable and 68 suspension bridges) does not appear in this report, nor do the preliminary economic damage estimate of NPR 38,754.68 crore, the early recovery requirement of NPR 795.3 crore, or the directly impacted population figure of 32,963.
The Nuwakot health and protection detail (approximately 740 persons receiving psychiatric and counselling services, 1,547 APF health check-ups) and the SAR personnel counts (approximately 459 Nepal Police and 450 APF, plus the Nepal Police canine team) are also absent. The dammed lake on the Lhende Khola near Rasuwagadhi, first noted in RRN’s 31 August summary, remains unmentioned for a sixth consecutive report. With teams now working 275 metres inside the Rasuwagadhi tunnel below it, this is the most consequential outstanding gap in NDRRMA reporting.
Prepared by Rural Reconstruction Nepal for internal and partner circulation. Figures provisional and government-published, drawn from NDRRMA Situation Report #15, as of 19:00, 5 September 2026, and compared against RRN’s consolidated summary of 4 September 2026, 18:30. USD conversions approximate, at NPR 152.4/USD. NEOC toll-free: 1234.