KATHMANDU, Sept 11: Water began flowing through the Hunga River in Solukhumbu on Friday morning after a landslide blocked the stream and formed a large lake, prompting authorities to alert downstream communities along the Dudhkoshi River.
According to Solukhumbu Assistant Chief District Officer Debendra Subedi, landslides began around 7 AM in Mahakulung Rural Municipality-2 and 4, creating a lake more than 100 meters wide in the Hunga (Hunku) River area of Gudel.
The landslide, about 35 meters high, occurred around 100 meters downstream from the head office of Gaurishankar Hydropower and formed a dam approximately 100 meters long and 15 meters high.
Locals happy as water starts flowing again from a spring that d...
By around 9:10 am, water had begun flowing after the lake behind the landslide dam filled up. Authorities are monitoring the situation and assessing the potential risks downstream.
Police teams from the Area Police Office, Sotang, and a nearby police post have been deployed to the site. They have alerted settlements along the riverbanks as well as hydropower projects in the area, including Gaurishankar Hydropower, Dudhkoshi-2 Hydropower Nepal and two projects operated by Sahas Urja Limited.
Workers and vehicles at the hydropower projects have been instructed to move to safer locations.
Authorities have urged residents along the Hunga River and Dudhkoshi River to remain highly alert until further notice. They have warned that a breach of the landslide dam could endanger downstream areas, including parts of Udayapur and Sunsari.
The Hunga Khola flows from Bodel in Mahakulung-2 through Sotang, Thulung Dudhkoshi and Necha Salyan rural municipalities before joining the Dudhkoshi River, which flows toward Khotang and Okhaldhunga.
