Kathmandu: Nepal authorities on Sunday issued a renewed flood alert after reporting a further rise in the water level of the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa district, IANS reported.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA) asked personnel involved in search, rescue and relief efforts in Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Chitwan to exercise caution. It also urged residents living near riverbanks and others in vulnerable areas to stay alert.
“All those engaged in search, rescue and relief operations in affected areas, including Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Chitwan districts, those staying along the riversides, and all other concerned are requested to remain alert,” the NDRRMA said in a notice issued on Sunday morning.
The Flood Forecasting Division of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said the Trishuli River’s water level at Galchhi in Dhading, downstream of the Bhote Koshi, was flowing three metres above its usual level.
The division had recorded the river rising above 14 metres in Dhading on August 26, when a massive flood hit several areas.
Officials attributed the latest rise in the Trishuli to flooding in the Bhote Koshi area of Rasuwa. However, they said the immediate threat to people was limited as residents had already moved away from the riverbanks.
“There is not much risk as people have already moved away from the riverside areas,” an official of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said.
The NDRRMA has been issuing repeated warnings over the possibility of another severe flood after the Lhende Khola, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi River, was blocked upstream.
“Based on a preliminary analysis of a satellite image taken at 11:44 a.m. on August 27, 2026, it appears that the flow of the Lhende Khola has been obstructed in an upstream area approximately 18 kilometres from the Rasuwagadhi border point, resulting in the formation of a lake covering approximately 0.11 square kilometres,” the authority said in a statement issued late on Saturday.
The obstruction has led to the formation of a lake, raising concerns that the natural dam retaining the water could give way and send a large volume of water downstream.
“As there remains a risk that the natural dam holding back the lake could burst, potentially triggering another major flood, residents in downstream areas and all concerned are requested to remain alert and exercise extreme caution.”
The NDRRMA said an initial assessment had also suggested the formation of more lakes in the area.
The authority said the August 26 flood had so far killed 675 people. As many as 2,498 people remained uncontactable, including 589 foreigners, it added.
