Even after 11 days of flooding in Bhotekoshi, search and rescue operations have not stopped. It is not clear how many people are still trapped in the flood-ravaged settlements and hydroelectric project tunnels. But after four people were rescued alive in the last two days amid despair, there has been a message of hope among the rescue workers and their relatives.
On the 10th and 11th days of the flood, four people were rescued alive from the tunnels of the two hydropower projects and the houses that were damaged by the flood.
On Friday, Sanjay Sah and Kavir Maharjan were rescued from the tunnel of the flood-affected Trishuli-3 'A' hydropower project. They were trapped inside the tunnel.
A Chinese citizen was rescued from the Audit-4 tunnel of the Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project on Saturday. The Nepalese army and the South Korean disaster expert team rescued him safely from inside the tunnel. The rescued Chinese nationals have been brought to Maithil Barracks in Trishuli, Nuwakot for further treatment and health examination.
Another rescue on Saturday indicated that after the Bhotekoshi flood, the scope of the search should be taken out of the tunnel and extended to the houses and structures damaged by the flood.
Chandika Shrestha was rescued alive from inside her house which was swept away by flood in Betravati, Vidur municipality-10 of Nuwakot. He was rescued by a team under the command of Inspector Suman Vick of the Armed Police Force of Nepal.
Local Narayan Lal Dangol said that Shrestha's house was swept away by the flood and moved about 50 meters away from his old place. According to him, Shrestha's house was about 70 meters behind his house.
He was rescued from a house that was swept away by the flood. His house was 70 meters behind my house. The flood has swept away about 50 meters from where my house is. The police pulled him out of the house he ran away from.
A local public representative said that the police was informed after people's voices were heard from inside the washed away house. According to Mangal Tamang, a ward member of Vidur Municipality-10, when people were coming to Bagar, the work of digging the road had also started. At the same time, after hearing the voice of a person, the police was informed for rescue.
The rescue of Chandika, which took place 11 days after the flood, shows that there are still some people trapped alive inside the structures of the houses that were washed away, buried or destroyed by the flood, and the rescue has to be intensified.
Chandika's husband is still out of touch, the family said. It is said that after the rescue, he was brought to the camp hospital for treatment.
How many more are inside the tunnel?
Most of the hydropower projects in the Bhotekoshi flood-affected areas were working when the flood occurred. More than half of them were working inside the tunnels of the project. Therefore, it is suspected that many people working inside the tunnel are trapped.
The search and rescue work of people trapped in different parts of the tunnel is still going on. But the complex structure of the tunnels, the damage caused by the floods and the lack of easy access for rescuers are making it difficult to reach many places.
Home Minister Sudhan Gurung has also informed that the search and rescue work is continuing in the flood-affected areas. Security personnel and technical teams are trying to find out the condition of those trapped inside the tunnel.
As the day goes by, there is increasing concern about the condition of the people inside the tunnel. But even on the 10th and 11th day, the rescue of four people alive has sent a message that hope is not over yet.
Not only tunnels, but also flooded houses
After the Bhotekoshi flood, the issue of people being trapped inside the tunnel came to the fore. But after Chandika Shrestha was rescued alive in Betravati, there is a possibility that people may have been trapped inside the houses and structures that were washed away and buried by the flood.
The flood has caused great damage to houses and settlements from Gadhi in Rasuwa through Nuwakot to Galundi area in Dhading. Some houses have been buried, while others have been swept away by the flood. Some structures have completely collapsed.
Since people may be trapped or trapped inside such structures, now the priority of search and rescue should be focused on flood-damaged houses, ruins and buried settlements along with tunnels.
The rescue of Chandika after 11 days showed that life can still be found in the wreckage.
The damage is great, hope still remains
Bhotekoshi flood has caused great damage to hydropower projects, roads, bridges, houses and settlements along with human losses. Structures and access roads of hydropower projects in flood-affected areas have also been affected. In some areas, floods have changed the appearance of old roads and settlements.
But the rescue of four people alive in the last two days has given new hope to the rescue operation.
The four lives of Sanjay Sah, Kavir Maharjan, a Chinese citizen and Chandika Shrestha, have spread a ray of hope all around.
How many people are still lucky to be alive in the ruins and dark tunnels of Bhotekoshi?
The rescue team must now reach every wreckage, every buried house and every possible trap in the tunnel to find answers.
So time is running out now, but there is still hope.
Published: 20 Bhadra 2083 16:22 Saturday
