On clear days, the stretch of Trishuli River by the Riverside Springs Resort in Kurintar, Chitwan can lull you by its calm. It is almost blissful to sit on the pebble beach on hot summer evenings, toes dipped in cold water, contemplating the hustle and bustle of chaotic Kathmandu. [break]
But every once a while, out of nowhere, a wave of water crashes on to the shore, breaking your reverie, and you suddenly have a troubling inkling of the how dangerous the seemingly placid water can be. After the onset of monsoon, you need no such warning as the almost deafening roar of the river can be heard even from the safe distance of hotel rooms a good 500-600 meters away. Prashant Regmi, his three sisters and two other friends who were on an outing at the Riverside last Saturday made the terrible mistake of overlooking the destructive capacity of Trishuli in monsoon. Though Prashant himself survived, he had to bear witness to five other members of his group being swallowed by the mighty river, one after another, after they had ventured a little too deep into the water. As of this writing, the whereabouts of the five youngsters are still unknown. The chance of any of them being rescued alive is almost nil.
Like these unfortunate picnickers, over 300 unsuspecting people lose their lives to landslides, floods and other water-induced disasters every year. According to the UN, the estimated economic damage of these accidents is over US $10 million per year. Most recently, after three days of incessant rainfall, the swollen Mahakali River swept away an entire Dalit settlement in Khalanga, the Darchula district headquarters, in what has been described as the biggest flood in the river in decades. A local woman who was swept away has not been located. RSS reports that the Beni-Jomsom road that links Mustang to the rest of the country remains obstructed due to the rise in the water level in the Kaligandaki River. Likewise, the Hetauda-Kulekhani road has been blocked by landslides. No wonder that the county has been ranked as the 30th most vulnerable country to floods and landslides.
But there are ways to cope with water-induced tragedies. Studies have shown that communities with higher level of education, particularly on disaster risk management, respond much better to water-induced disasters, greatly minimizing the loss of life and property. Another time-tested method is early warning system, which has been implemented in some pockets with great success. Last August, one such system was successfully activated in Banke district, just in time to avert a major disaster. With monsoon rains pushing water of the West Rapti River to critical levels, the early warning system was activated and downstream communities could be evacuated on time. More such innovative approaches will be needed if the country is to minimize losses of precious lives and properties. As the Banke example shows, given the will, this certainly is doable.
The Armed Police Force’s Disaster Management Training Center which specializes in water rescue was a stone throw away from the site where the five youngsters drowned at Kurintar on Saturday. Although the APF unit could not save these youngsters, the team trained on deep-water rescue has successfully rescued nearly 200 people alive from Trishuli and Narayani rivers, once again proving that with timely intervention, it is possible to minimize tragedies.
Related story
Finance Ministry explores strategies to mitigate impacts of Wes...
