Within 10 minutes, water from the swelling Bagmati River gushed into his house forcing him and his family members to run for their lives. Pariyar, a painter by profession, has been living on the banks of Bagmati for almost a decade now.
Displaced by the flooding, Pariyar and his family members spent whole night shifting their belongings to dry areas. According to Pariyar, it had rained for hours, leaving his shelter submerged.
"We heard people scream for help as the rain intensified. The river water overflowed and entered into nearby shelters and homes," said Pariyar.
No human casualties have been reported.
Balen hits back at Oli, says ‘landless squatters have only beco...
Bhim Gurung, 42, another squatter in Tinkune on the bank of Bagmati River, was in deep slumber when floodwaters flowed into his shelter.
A kidney patient, Gurung had dozed off after having the daily dose of medicines. His nephew managed to wake him up in time and both of them managed to escape the raging flood.
Although their house was unaffected, the belongings of the Gurungs were drenched with some of them washed away by the river.
Gurung, originally from Baglung, has been living along the Bagmati River for almost eight years.
According to Gurung, there are over 65 squatters' household in the settlement on the bank of Bagmati near Tinkune.
"We have been landless for years and the government has shown no interest in providing us proper shelters. Now as the flooding has washed away our belongings, we have nothing much to hold on to," said Gurung.
The heavy rainfall in Sundarijal area on Sunday evening caused the Dhobi Khola in Tinkune to swell. Flood Forecasting Section of Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM recorded a rainfall of 111.20 mm in Sundarijal on Sunday. Not only Sundarijal, all stations in Bagmati-Godawari, Budhanilkantha, Lele, Nagpokhari, Kathmandu Airport, Nagarkot, Thankot and Sindhuligadi had experienced heavy rainfall on Sunday.
Binod Parajuli, hydrologist at DHM, commented the flooding in the Bagmati River was not a serious case. "The flood incident of 1993 was worst compared to this one. Many households were displaced then with rainfall recorded at 400 mm. However, people near the river area must stay alert during intense rainfall," said Parajuli.
