Pokhara, 6 September | A devastating flood in the Trishuli River has completely swept away the settlements of Solebazar in Nuwakot and Kaidletar in Rasuwa, leaving extensive destruction and a major humanitarian crisis along both sides of the river. The two settlements, located opposite each other along the Trishuli River, had previously been densely populated local markets. According to preliminary information from local residents, Solebazar had around 60 to 100 houses, while Kaidletar had a similar number of homes. The exact number of houses destroyed and people affected is yet to be fully verified.
Local resident Laxman Adhikari said the flood swept away his house and belongings, leaving the river flowing through the place where his home once stood. He described Solebazar as completely deserted after the flood that struck on the 10th. According to him, residents received a warning shortly before the flood but initially assumed that the river would rise as it normally did. Instead, the flood arrived with enormous force, carrying rocks and debris and leaving people with almost no time to escape. Some residents were eating while others were preparing food when the flood struck.
Krishna Prasad Rijal, chairperson of the Tumche sub-branch of the Nepal Red Cross Society, said around 68 people were swept away from a single location in Solebazar. Only one body has been recovered so far, according to him. Rijal said around 80 people had been present in the area at the time, with only 12 reportedly surviving. In Kaidletar, local residents estimate that around 39 people remain missing. Many displaced survivors are currently staying in holding centres, while some have taken shelter with relatives. Those without relatives nearby are staying in school classrooms.
Nearby Karmetar, however, was remarkably spared from the worst destruction. The settlement, which also lies close to the Trishuli River, has 62 houses that remained safe, and no human casualties have been reported there. Rijal said he was drinking tea in Solebazar when he heard a loud sound from the intake area of the Trishuli-3B hydropower project. He immediately headed toward his home in Karmetar. By then, floodwaters had already swept through the area between Solebazar and Betravati. Although nearby farmland was damaged, the flood did not enter Karmetar. Local residents believe rocks and the surrounding mountainous terrain may have diverted the powerful flow toward Betravati and away from the settlement. Despite escaping the immediate disaster, Karmetar remains vulnerable whenever the water level in the Trishuli rises. Local resident Sudarshan Khatiwada said residents were forced to move to higher ground during the latest flood, describing it as an unprecedented event that they had never experienced or witnessed before.
