KATHMANDU, Sept 7: On the morning of August 26, Prime Minister Balendra (Balen) Shah was preparing to answer lawmakers’ questions in the House of Representatives when news of a devastating flood in Rasuwa’s Bhotekoshi River reached him.
Shah immediately sought details and instructed the concerned agencies to alert people living along the riverbanks. Local administrations and police began using loudspeakers to warn residents to move to safer areas.
But the first sign that something far more serious was unfolding had already appeared in the sky.
At 8:55 am, an Altitude Air helicopter had taken off from Kathmandu for Timure in Rasuwa to pick up Indian tourists. As the pilot approached Dhunche, however, he saw what appeared to be a huge cloud of dust and debris billowing down from the upper reaches of the Bhotekoshi.
He alerted the airline’s office and reported that he could not proceed to Timure.
The sight offered an early indication of the scale of the disaster that was unfolding downstream.
As government agencies began coordinating their response, the information reached the prime minister. At around 9:45 am, a Nepali Army helicopter became the first to take off for the flood-hit areas.
The Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers had swept away settlements, roads, bridges and other infrastructure, cutting off large parts of the affected areas. With ground access severely disrupted, helicopters quickly became the government’s main lifeline to those stranded.
The government called on private helicopter companies to put their aircraft on standby. Since the first day of the disaster, Army and private helicopters have been at the heart of the rescue operation. By September 6, they had helped rescue more than 13,000 people, according to officials.
Up to 20 helicopters in the air
With roads destroyed across large stretches of the affected area, there was little alternative to air operations.
Rasuwa flood: Army rescues 25 people, 14 choppers mobilized in...
A helicopter rescue coordination team has been working under the leadership of the Nepali Army. From the first day, 16 helicopters—six operated by the Army and 10 by private companies—were deployed. On some days, the number has risen to as many as 20.
The helicopters have been carrying stranded, injured, disabled and displaced people, as well as people rescued from debris. Most are first flown to the Nepali Army’s military training center in Trishuli and, when necessary, onward to Kathmandu.
Private helicopters conducted 49 rescue flights on August 26 alone. The following day, the Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal (CAAN) directed private helicopter companies to suspend commercial flights and make their aircraft available for the rescue operation.
It marked the first time in Nepal’s history that the government had brought private helicopters under its control for disaster rescue operations.
Of the 12 private helicopter companies operating in Nepal, all except Manang Air have joined the rescue effort.
Helicopters have been operating from and around Rasuwagadhi, Timure, Dhunche, Syabrubesi, Mailung, Betrabati, Sole and the Trishuli area, carrying stranded people, evacuees, injured people and bodies, according to security agencies.
On the second day of the disaster, Army helicopters rescued 607 people, while private helicopters rescued another 603. With roads destroyed by the flood, helicopters also delivered around 3,800 kilograms of fuel, medicines, food and other supplies to affected areas that day.
From August 28, all helicopters except those being used to evacuate the injured to Kathmandu have been operating from the Army’s training center in Trishuli. A tanker supplying aviation fuel has also been stationed there.
Helicopters have also been used to transport specialized equipment needed to rescue people trapped inside tunnels at hydropower projects.
On the third day, Army helicopters rescued 903 people, while private helicopters rescued 361. The following day, 1,582 people were rescued.
Since then, between 16 and 20 helicopters have continued to operate daily, with Army and private aircraft taking on different rescue, relief and recovery missions.
‘Probably the largest helicopter deployment for a disaster’
For pilots involved in the operation, the scale of the deployment is unlike anything they have seen before.
Altitude Air pilot Ananda Thapa, who has 22 years of experience flying helicopters for disaster rescue, said he had never seen such a large-scale deployment of private helicopters for a disaster in Nepal.
“I have been flying helicopters for disaster rescue for 22 years, but I don’t recall the government deploying so many private helicopters for a rescue operation before,” he said.
The unprecedented number of aircraft has also created a major challenge: managing them safely in the same airspace.
Air traffic controllers have been brought from Kathmandu and stationed at Trishuli to coordinate the flights.
The Army has assessed the capabilities of individual pilots and helicopters and assigned them accordingly. Aircraft capable of operating in narrow gorges and higher-altitude areas have been given more challenging missions, while others have been assigned to transport injured people, relief supplies, equipment and bodies.
How much will it cost?
While the government has mobilized as many as 20 helicopters a day, it has yet to determine how much it will pay for the operation.
Since September 2, helicopters have largely been used to recover bodies and transport relief supplies. The Nepali Army alone had conducted 1,170 flights by September 5, while private helicopter companies have also conducted a similar number of flights.
The government will have to cover the cost of the operations, but it has not yet decided whether payment will be calculated per flight, per day or by the hour.
A manager at a private helicopter company said the government could establish a common hourly rate for all operators involved in the disaster response.
“Under normal circumstances, each company has its own rates. Since the helicopters are being used for disaster response, the government could pay all operators at a uniform rate,” the manager said.
Different helicopters, different missions
In Nepal’s mountainous terrain, helicopters are often the most practical means of carrying out search, rescue and relief operations when roads become impassable.
While the exact number of operational private helicopters is unclear, the Nepali Army currently has 15 operational helicopters.
The Army operates Mi-17, Bell and Agusta helicopters for relief and search-and-rescue missions. Many private operators use B3 and B3e helicopters, which are considered particularly suitable for rescue operations in the high Himalayas, according to pilot Thapa.
The scale of the Bhotekoshi disaster has once again demonstrated how quickly helicopters can become indispensable when roads and other ground access routes disappear.
It has also highlighted the need for Nepal to strengthen its aerial rescue capacity and develop more personnel capable of carrying out high-risk search-and-rescue operations, experts say.
