Bhotekoshi Disaster Impact Widens

Sabika Shrestha/Sabina Praja

The scale of the Bhotekoshi disaster remains far below the nationwide devastation caused by the 2015 earthquake. However, authorities caution that the full extent of the flood’s impact is still being assessed and could rise as further findings emerge.

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) is currently comparing the imagery obtained from drones and satellites with field-level information collected from local governments, district administrations, security agencies, and relevant government offices to determine the actual extent of the damage.

Preliminary data till date shows that 8,317 households have been affected, with an estimated 32,963 people living in those households impacted.

Of the affected population, 16,769 are men and 16,192 are women. However, the Authority has urged that these figures should not yet be considered final.

Additional details are still being received from various agencies.

The information will only be incorporated into the central database after it has been verified by the concerned authorities.

Meanwhile, another assessment carried out under the Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA) indicates that the scale of the impact could be significantly larger.

Based on an assessment using drone and satellite imagery, the analysis covered the flood-damaged corridor and a 200-metre buffer zone on either side.

It estimates that 14,680 buildings, 16,110 households, and a population of 64,335 are located within the affected corridor and buffer area.

According to this assessment, Nuwakot has recorded the largest impact.

In Nuwakot alone, an estimated 8,179 households and 31,759 people are affected.

In Dhading, an estimated 3,922 households and 16,190 people are affected.

In Rasuwa, the assessment estimates 2,335 households and 9,266 people are affected.

In Gorkha, an estimated 762 households and 3,029 people are located within the damaged corridor and buffer zone.

Similarly, in Chitwan, an estimated 910 households and 4,090 people are within the affected corridor and buffer area.

For now, authorities say the numbers represent only the damage that has been identified so far with a clearer picture of the Bhotekoshi disaster expected to emerge in the coming days.