Full Breakdown
Flash Floods Sweep Budhi Gandani River, Gorkha District
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The Event on October 11, 2026
On the morning of October 11, 2026, the Budhi Gandani River in Nepal’s central Gorkha district overflowed after a landslide temporarily blocked the waterway. The surge swept away roughly a dozen to 45 houses, destroyed two to four suspension bridges and a highway bridge linking Gorkha with Dhading, and damaged several hydro-electric construction sites, including the 341-megawatt Budhi Gandani project. No fatalities have been confirmed, but two women and three men remain missing. The Nepal Army, police and the Armed Police Force deployed helicopters and ground teams, rescuing 47 to 82 people—including nine foreigners—according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA).
Background & Context
The flash flood followed Nepal’s August 26 landslide-induced flood along the Trishuli River system, which killed more than 1,400 people and left thousands missing. The country is still coping with reconstruction and humanitarian needs from that disaster.
Data & Statistics
- Missing: 5 (two women, three men) – NDRRMA.
- Rescued: 47–82 people, including nine foreigners – NDRRMA and army reports.
- Housing loss: 35–45 houses swept away.
- Bridges destroyed: 2–4 suspension bridges and one highway bridge.
- Hydropower impact: Equipment and camp structures at the Budhi Gandani project and three smaller projects damaged.
- Water level rise: River rose from about 3.66 m to 8.43 m within ten minutes, surpassing the 5 m danger threshold (NDTV data cited by NDRRMA).
Official Statements & Responses
- Evacuation order: Dharmendra Kumar Mishra, Gorkha district’s senior bureaucrat, told residents “We have asked villagers living along the river banks downstream to evacuate and remain safe.”
- Cause assessment: Binod Parajuli, a hydrologist with the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, noted that the river’s hydrological station was swept away, leaving no rainfall data for the upper catchment.
- Rescue operations: The army deployed four helicopters and hundreds of security personnel; the NDRRMA sent early-warning SMS messages to about 200,000 residents in Gorkha, Tanahun, Chitwan, East and West Nawalparasi.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
Sources differ on the precise trigger of the flood.
- Landslide-dam breach: Most reports (Reuters, Al Jazeera, RT, SBS) attribute the surge to a landslide that blocked the Budhi Gandani River, forming a temporary dam that later failed.
- Dry landslide vs. ice avalanche: Euronews and Telesurenglish cite a “dry landslide” as the blocking event, while some local accounts mention an ice-avalanche or glacial melt contributing to the blockage.
- Data limitations: The loss of the hydrological station means rainfall and upstream flow data are unavailable, leaving the exact cause unconfirmed.
Verbatim Quotes
- “The flood looked similar… It was very scary, and it still feels like a nightmare for us,” — local official.
- “We have asked villagers living along the river banks downstream to evacuate and remain safe,” — Dharmendra Kumar Mishra.
- “Our hydrological station was swept away and we are not getting any data from that location.” — Binod Parajuli.
- “What we know is that a dry landslide had blocked the river and then it burst to cause the flood” — national disaster agency.