The 2015 earthquake dried up all the water sources in Kirse village. Desperate for water, the entire village relocated in search of it. A new settlement, Longata, was established in the fields of Bensi, a little below Kirse. After the earthquake dried up the water sources, most of the residents of this village, who had moved down to the riverbank, were once again displaced on Wednesday night by a flood in the Khare River.

Ten families from Kirse had moved to Longata solely for water. When the floodwaters of the Khare River reached their courtyards, Pahal Bahadur Tamang of Longata began dismantling his house, hoping to save the timber and wood.

“After the earthquake dried up the water, we moved down here, and now water has taken our home here too. Where do we go now?” he said. “After the flood entered the settlement, we spent the whole night under the open sky in the upper area.” He said the flood swept away all their fields. He shared that he had taken shelter at his brother’s house, a little below Longata. He lamented that all the families displaced from Kirse have now been displaced again from Longata.

“No house in Longata is safe because of the flood. The river has already swept away three houses,” he said. “We’ve started dismantling those houses, thinking the timber might be useful later. It keeps raining. Children and the elderly are in distress.”

He said the new house they built after the earthquake, with borrowed money, was also swept away by the river. Even though they couldn’t save their house, he said they were desperately trying to save their food grains.

On Wednesday night, the flood in the Khare River in Gaurishankar–8 displaced 10 families from Longata. Similarly, the flood put more than 15 houses in Sumna, across from Longata, at risk. The fields of Sumna locals were also swept away by the flood. Fear of flooding persists in settlements along the Khare River banks.

Gaurishankar Rural Municipality Chairperson Bishwas Karki said that those immediately displaced were relocated to safe places by finding neighboring or rented houses.

He said that two displaced families from Longata were relocated to rented rooms in safe houses across the river. For the other families, arrangements were made for temporary shelter in neighbors’ homes.

“The entire settlement is at risk due to river erosion. Some houses are in the process of being swept away,” he said. “Because of the high risk, we have immediately moved locals to safe places. We will make alternative arrangements once the crisis subsides.”

He said that more than 15 houses have been put at risk by the flood in the Khare River. He also informed that residents of the at-risk houses have been asked to stay in safe places.

The flood has completely washed away the road to Chankhu and Marbu in Gaurishankar–6 and 7, disrupting transportation. He said both Chankhu and Marbu wards have been cut off from the road network. In case of emergency, people have been asked to immediately contact security agencies or the rural municipality.

Security personnel continued the search on Thursday for 73-year-old Chasman Tamang, who was swept away by a flood in the Sipring River on Tuesday night. He was swept away along with his shed while sleeping in it when the flood suddenly struck. The flood also swept away 30 goats and 12 cattle.

The flood swept away the dam site of the 10-megawatt Sipring River Hydropower Project, halting electricity production. Chairperson Karki said that six houses in Tasinam, Gaurishankar–9, were displaced due to a landslide. Similarly, the flood in the Sipring River put seven houses in Fedi village at risk.

“Some houses in Tasinam are at risk due to landslides, and some families have been displaced,” he said. “I have come to the ward to assess the damage. Data is being collected on how many houses have been affected. Arrangements will be made for everyone to stay in safe places.”

Similarly, after a landslide displaced two houses in Kaparang, Bigu Rural Municipality–8, those families have been relocated to safe places. Three other houses are at risk. As it has been raining continuously for five days in the northern region, the frequency of sudden floods has increased. Last week, due to rainfall on the Chinese side, floods occurred in the tributaries of the Tamakoshi River, prompting the Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Center to conduct emergency flushing. As a result, electricity production was halted for 17 hours.