Bhotekoshi Floods Cause Rs 79.17 Billion in Damage, Affecting Over 32,000 People

KATHMANDU, Oct 17 – Floods in the Bhotekoshi River system caused an estimated Rs 79.17 billion in damage across four districts, directly affecting 32,872 people, according to a preliminary survey by the National Planning Commission.

The survey estimated damage worth Rs 69.57 billion to households and Rs 9.60 billion to businesses and other establishments.

A total of 7,316 households and establishments across 15 local units in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Gorkha were affected. These included 6,817 households and 499 businesses and establishments.

Nuwakot recorded the highest number of affected households and establishments at 4,164, followed by Rasuwa with 1,977, Dhading with 1,052 and Gorkha with 123.

Of the 32,872 people affected, 16,714 were men, 16,080 were women and 78 were identified as belonging to other gender categories or had unspecified gender identities.

By district, 17,954 people were affected in Nuwakot, 9,676 in Rasuwa, 4,584 in Dhading and 658 in Gorkha.

The floods damaged 4,151 building structures belonging to 3,067 property owners. Of these, 2,256 structures were in Nuwakot, 1,236 in Rasuwa, 630 in Dhading and 29 in Gorkha.

The damaged structures included:

• 2,792 houses
• 288 cattle sheds, storage buildings and traditional outbuildings
• 651 truss structures
• 263 temporary shelters
• 142 other types of structures
• 15 structures of unidentified type

The survey found that 2,989 structures, or 72.01 percent of the total, were completely destroyed. Another 508 buildings were buried under soil and mud, 302 sustained partial damage, 141 were tilted and 192 suffered minor damage.

Of the damaged structures, 3,194, or 76.95 percent, were deemed unusable. Another 332 could be used after major repairs, while 320 could be restored through minor repairs.

A further 97 structures remained usable without repairs. The survey did not specify whether 208 structures could be reused.