Early SMS warnings helped residents escape deadly Budhi Gandaki flash flood

A flash flood on the Budhi Gandaki river swept bridges and damaged homes and hydropower facilities in Gorkha district early Sunday. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority received official flood data at about 6:20 am and sent SMS warnings to downstream areas at 6:40 am, giving residents time to relocate to safer terrain. Villages including Arughat, Sirdibas, Jagat, Yaru and others reported no casualties, largely crediting the rapid alerts.

The flood destroyed the bridge at Arughat and left settlements buried in mud, while river-level monitoring equipment was lost. Army helicopters rescued dozens of people, and police, road officials, a drone team and other agencies are assessing damage and planning to restore connectivity, especially to Dhading district.