Rasuwa Flood: A Phone Call from Bir Bahadur Helps Save 30 Lives

The devastating floods of August 26 struck the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli river systems, ravaging settlements, killing over 1,300 and leaving many others injured. It has been reported that around 5,326 people are still missing after the flood. The disaster has severely affected Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading, Gorkha and Tanhu, causing a nationwide pain and suffering.

Amid the stories of sorrow and devastation, one story emerged in Nuwakot has come as an ‘oasis amid the desertification’. At the heart of this story is Bir Bahadur Gurung, who never imagined that he would witness such a massive flood in his lifetime.

After dropping off passengers from a microbus for a tea-break, Bir Bahadur entered a roadside tea shop. All of a sudden, he heard a loud noise. It drove him outside the tea shop. Whenever, he looked towards Syaphrubesi, whatever he saw was jaw-dropping.

The floodwaters from the Bhotekoshi River were so massive as they seemed to reach the sky. The roar of raging flood shook Dhunche, the headquarters of Rasuwa. Whatever he witnessed, he was totally unexpected and overwhelming for him so that he remained mentally stunned absent for five to ten minutes, he shared with the RSS.

Then, he suddenly remembered his family and was anxious about their safety. His family was at Bhainse, the part of Nuwakot’s Bidur Municipality-10 that sits on the banks of Trishuli River. He tried to compose himself and dialed up his spouse.

To his growing concern, she did not answer despite repeated calls. Then he tried his daughter Abika, a ninth grader at the Uttargaya Secondary School. She was on the way to her school when her mobile phone rang. After her father altered her to the situation, she immediately moved to higher ground.

Her father described her what he had witnessed in Dhunche. Bir Bahadur kept trying to reach his wife and elder brother Ramesh as well, and both answered his calls. When Ganga returned home from the farm, Ramesh had already taken his 71-year-old mother, and two-year-old nephew to higher ground. Bir Bahadur owns a microbus.

He usually drives along the Betrawati-Kathmandu route. But on August 26, he had reached Dhunche, carrying 10 passengers who were heading to Gosaikunda on pilgrimage. All of the passengers were from Dhading. “By fate, I am alive,” he said. All the passengers on his microbus were safe.

Had it been an ordinary say, he said, he and his entire family might have been swept away the flood. He later knew that his calls had not only helped alert his family but also his neighbours and his community. Everyone survived, abut almost all the houses in the settlement were washed away by the floodwaters. Bir Bahadur is overjoyed as his family of five was saved from the flood.

He said, “We can always earn and buy property, but life, where can we get that?” Ganga is also happy that her husband Bir Bahadur’s phone call could save many lives. “I shouted in warning for a long time that the flood was quickly advancing to the fields, but many didn’t believe me at first. When I said it had completely washed away the Timure and Syaphrubesi area, everyone started running,” she recounted.

Worried and distressed, she said that she could not save about 10 tolas (116.6 grammes) of gold and 1.4 million rupees from the flood. A few years ago, she had spent millions to build a one-story concrete house and was thinking about adding another story to it immediately.

“If we had tried to run away after fetching the jewelry and money, the whole family would have been killed. But I never valued that more than my life and my children, that’s why I got a new life today,” Gangā said. She saw many people losing their lives while trying to save jewelry and money on that fateful day.

According to her, even in Bhainse, some people were swept away by the flood when they tried to take out gold and cash from their homes. Ramesh Gurung, Bir Bahadur’s elder brother, shared that not only his own family of 10 people including Bir Bahadur, but also about 30 families in the neighborhood he lives in were saved from the flood by a single call from his brother.

Ramesh used to run a tea and food shop in Bhainse. His business was doing well. At that time, the Rasuwagadhi border was crowded with people shopping, and there were lots of travelers going on pilgrimages to Kailash Mansarovar and Gosainkunda. Ramesh used to be busy in his shop from morning till night without a moment’s rest.

“There were a lot of customers in the shop. I was cooking, and suddenly my brother called me on the mobile phone. I told everyone to run away to safety because a flood was coming,” Ramesh said, recalling that moment.

“Many didn’t believe me, and those who didn’t believe were swept away by the flood,” he added. Ramesh kept shouting until the flood reached Bhainse. After Bir Bahadur called from Dhunche, it took about half an hour for the surging flood to reach Bhainse, according to his estimate.

Ramesh said that was enough time to save his life. He shared that making good use of time only applies to those who are willing to believe your advice. He said that human casualties were lower in Bhainse compared to other places.

But he doesn’t have exact figures for those who lost their lives to the flood. “I’ve met a few of the survivors in this time, but for the rest, no one knows where they went.” Ramesh had built a house in Bhainse with an investment of almost 10 million rupees.

He had been running a food and snack shop there. “Right now is the season for business, daily transactions used to be 20-25 thousand rupees,” he said. “The earnings from three to four months of this season were enough to cover food, clothing, and children’s education for the whole year. There was still about four million rupees of debt left from building the house.”

Ramesh’s eldest son studies in Kathmandu. His other son studies at Chandeshwari Secondary School in Bhainse. He only managed to see his son who went to school after almost four hours.

“He had apparently run off with his school friends. I was worried that the flood might have carried him away, but later we got in touch,” he said. Ramesh mentioned that he was saved because even though his wife tried to go inside to get the mobile phone, he didn’t let her. Bir Bahadur’s and Ramesh’s families are now in mourning.

The flood swept away their family member Terana Tamang. She was a nurse at Trishuli Hospital. But she had gone to her Sholey-based house the night before the incident and could not return to hospital the next morning.

“Everyone is in grief. One has to console the other and there is no way,” opined Ramesh. He added that 150 displaced people of Bhainse, the most flood-hit area of Nuwakot, were kept at nearby safe holding centre after the Bhotekoshi flood affected the area on August 26. However, six families including that of Ramesh have been taking shelter at their relatives’ homes located at Gairikharka. Ramesh said that the government has been providing relief materials to displaced families.

“I visit the holding centre every day. There is no shortage of foods. Different bodies have been providing relief materials every day. But, there is not possible to stay here for such a long time. The government should make arrangement of proper accommodation and the continuous rainfall is causing problems for those staying here,” he stressed.

The displaced families are mainly worried about the study of their children as well as there is a need of psychological counselling for all displaced families as well as children, women and those who have lost their loved ones, he argued. Chairperson of Bidur municipality-10, Ganesh Kumar Nepal, stated his ward has been hit most by flood.

Total 1,200 members of 256 families of the ward have been affected and 239 people have gone missing. The ward chairperson shared that the displaced families have been taking shelter at Gelphutar-based Sundarikeurini Secondary School, adding around 200 students of a local Uttargaya Boarding School have been missing.

Chairperson Nepal mentioned that collection of data of missing people is being carried out. The parents have been suggested to send affected students to nearby safe schools. He viewed that Bidur municipality decided to provide Rs 10,000 for the time being to each family displaced from flood.

Saying different organisations and bodies have been providing financial assistance, he extended gratitude towards all for their support. Suggesting the displaced families to stay at safer places of the ward until the government makes proper arrangement for accommodation, he expressed commitment not to allow financial crisis for the same. (RSS)