KATHMANDU, Sept 2: Prime Minister Balendra Shah has said rescue operations inside hydropower project tunnels following the Bhotekoshi flood in Rasuwa have been hampered not by a shortage of manpower but by the extraordinary conditions created by the flood.
Addressing the House of Representatives on Wednesday, Shah said a massive amount of mud, silt and other debris had entered the tunnels, creating exceptional challenges for rescue teams.
He said the government was continuing the search for people who remain unaccounted for in Rasuwa and would take responsibility for treating the injured and providing both temporary and long-term rehabilitation to those who have lost their homes. “No one will be left behind,” Shah said. “The government will provide immediate temporary and long-term rehabilitation for those who have become homeless.”
Flood warning was issued to locals half an hour earlier
Responding to questions about why timely flood warnings were not issued, Shah described the disaster as one of the major catastrophes faced by human civilization and said the event was beyond conventional prediction.
He said security personnel were immediately mobilized to alert local residents after information about the approaching flood was received, with some security personnel also going missing during the process.
The government disseminated warnings through around 1.1 million SMS messages and telephone calls and alerted local residents approximately half an hour before the flood struck, Shah claimed.
Unidentified bodies managed on scientific grounds
India, China, South Korea send technical teams to Nepal for flo...
Shah said many people were swept away and killed in the muddy floodwaters, with the flood carrying bodies to different locations.
He said bodies that could not be immediately identified had been managed underground in accordance with legal and scientific procedures, while preserving DNA samples and other identification evidence.
“Once the DNA matches, the bodies will be handed over to the respective families. They can then perform the final rites according to their religion and culture,” he said, urging the public not to be misled about the process.
Chinese, Indian technical teams conducted reconnaissance
Shah said there was no question of refusing international assistance in the face of such a massive disaster. He said the government had coordinated with friendly countries from the outset to seek assistance based on the needs in the affected areas.
Technical teams from China and India were sent to the affected areas and conducted aerial reconnaissance from the first and second days of the disaster, he said.
However, the teams concluded that it was not immediately possible to land helicopters in the affected areas, Shah said. Foreign technical personnel, Nepali technicians and security personnel would be deployed only after safe landing sites were available and rescue equipment and personnel could reach the affected areas safely, he said.
Flood conditions created unusual challenges for tunnel rescue
Addressing discussions surrounding the rescue of people trapped inside tunnels, Shah said the tunnels had not been blocked by a conventional landslide.
He said experts around the world have experience clearing landslides from tunnel entrances to conduct rescues, but the situation in Rasuwa was fundamentally different.
“This is not a tunnel affected or blocked by a landslide. The flood entered the tunnel, carrying mud along with it,” he said.
According to Shah, the large volume of mud, silt and other debris carried into the tunnels made it difficult to create safe working areas for rescue machinery and personnel.
There was not even enough space to position excavators in the affected areas, he said. Nepal Army and Armed Police Force rescue personnel had also made every effort to reach the sites and work under extremely difficult conditions.
Shah said rescue operations could proceed only after safe areas were created for positioning excavators and landing helicopters.
Coordination underway among federal, provincial and local governments
Responding to questions about a lack of coordination among the federal, provincial and local governments during the disaster, Shah said the government had maintained continuous communication with provincial governments, local governments and elected representatives from the beginning.
He said discussions were held with a team led by the Bagmati Province chief minister during visits to the affected areas. The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority had also decided to coordinate with local governments and take its responsibilities for disaster management more seriously, he said.
Shah said the government’s main priorities were searching for people who remain unaccounted for, treating the injured, rehabilitating affected people and rebuilding damaged infrastructure.
