26 October, Arughat (Gorkha). At Arughat Bazar on the banks of Budhigandaki river, the black muddy soil left by the flood is visible. Mud is piled up on the banks of the river, wooden bundles are piled up. The ground is muddy. It is smelling muddy because it is not dry. Some people are observing the damaged area from a distance. Security personnel are present.

As of today, traffic is closed after one span of the bridge, which can easily be crossed, was swept away by the flood. The road bridge connecting Dhadingbensi to Arughat Bazar had three spans.

The flood in Budhigandaki has affected Arughat market and surrounding settlements. Along with the bridge, the water pipe has also been washed away. The movement of local people, the daily activities of the market and the transport of essential materials have been affected after the road connectivity has been cut.

After the flood, the scene of Arughat has increased both panic and confusion among the locals. The mud, piled up mud and fallen logs on the banks of the river show the speed at which the flood came. According to the locals, the fear that the water level will rise again has not disappeared. So people are prohibited from going near the danger zone.

The news of the flood came while he was sleeping

The morning of the flood was tragic for Anju Sunar, who lives at Vidyut Chowk in Arughat. She was sleeping at home. After the women around reported that the flood was coming from above, she rushed to a safe place with her three small children.

"While we were sleeping, the sisters around us told us that the flood is coming from above, get up, go to a safe place," Sunar said, "Then we hurriedly went up to the tower with the little children and sat down."

According to Sunar, the flood did not come all at once. The water was rising and falling. But suddenly there was a flood with a flood. They were watching from a safe place. Before our eyes, the market across the river and the surrounding areas were flooded.

"The market across the street and all the surrounding areas were submerged before our eyes. We were sitting on top," she said.

The locals, who had experienced floods before, were afraid that this time too there would be great damage. The families who left their homes and moved up stayed there for a long time.

According to Sunar, the people in the market were heading for safety. Even the security personnel did not allow people to enter the market area as the risk remained.

"In any case, we are happy that there were no human casualties. But there has been a lot of physical damage,” she said.

According to 70-year-old Lok Prasad Dhakal of Arughat area, it was heard that the river was blocked before the flood and later burst and caused damage. His house is about one kilometer above the bank of Budhigandaki.

According to him, the flood washed away some houses in the market and also damaged the bridge. But the details of how the river was blocked before the flood, where the landslide occurred and for how long the water accumulated are yet to be technically confirmed.

After the flood swept away one span of the bridge, it is not possible to travel easily through the old road. According to Dhakal, it may be possible to travel through the lower bridge. This has resulted in the locals having to use alternative routes.

The morning passed in parts

Santosh Rajbhandari, who is doing business in Arughat market, said that after receiving the news of the flood, the locals moved to safer places. According to him, around 5-6 in the morning, the news spread that a landslide had occurred from above and Budhi Gandaki was trapped.

After the news came, they fled. We went to Tariphant, Bhimsen Thapa rural municipality area. After getting the news over the phone, he was able to escape," said Rajbhandari.

According to him, the people of the settlements around the river had hurriedly left their homes and headed for higher and safer places. He said that there have been reports of more damage in the settlements towards Dhading. Shanti Bazar towards upper region and Gorkha has also been damaged.

The news of some people missing after the flood has also spread locally. Rajbhandari said that he got the information that four-five people are missing.

Arughat: Center of the village

Arughat is not just a riverside market. It is also a commercial and traffic center connecting different settlements of Gorkha and Dhading. According to Uday Prasad Khanal of Arughat Rural Municipality-8, people from Salyantar, Budhathum, Manbu, Baseri and other areas towards Dhading and various villages towards Gorkha come to Arughat for shopping and other work.

"Arughat is a confluence of about eight to ten villages," said Khanal, "it is now broken."

This market is also important for trekking and other trips as there is a route to Arughat via Dhading and from here to the upper (Manaslu) area. Therefore, when the bridge collapsed, not only the structure was damaged, but regular communication and trade between the settlements of the two districts was also interrupted.

The exact details of how many households were affected in the market and how much physical damage was caused is yet to be collected.

Awaiting restoration

Security personnel are deployed on the river bank after the flood. Teams of the Nepali Army have reached both sides. It has been reported at the local level that there has been a preliminary survey on whether the condition of the bridge can be inspected and traffic can be restored through Ballybridge or other options.

But it is not certain how long the bridge will be operational, when the water pipe will be repaired and how much damage has been done to the affected settlements. The Nepalese army is preparing to connect the belay bridge to the bridge from today. For this, the road division office is being brought from Hetaunda to Belibridge today.

At Arughat, you can see a damaged bridge left by the flood. Even if the water in Budhigandaki recedes, the fear, damage and uncertainty left by the flood will not go away immediately. The expectation of the locals is focused on the accurate description of the damage, the restoration of safe movement and the reconstruction of the affected settlements.

Photo/Video - Kamal Prasai

Gyawali, who writes on judicial and government matters, compiles investigative content in online news.