24 May, Myagdi : An artificial pond has been created after the Kaligandaki river got clogged by landslides in Baisari, on the border of Bhagawati and Ramche VDCs of Myagdi since this morning.
The land slip has already buried 26 houses in Besauri while dozen more settlements are at risk of being swept away. Furthermore, the likelihood of the artificial lake bursting out at any time has put the settlements along the Kaligandaki river bank as well as in the district headquarters Beni Bazaar.
Water flow in the river has come to a complete halt leading to a massive pond and thereby posing risk to the settlements near the river, said Police Inspector Bimal Kumar Upadhyaya, who has reached the site this morning. The river has been receiving continuous fall of mud from the mud slip that began from a hill some 1500 meters above the river.
The local security authorities have already raised alarm in the nearby settlements considering the risk of inundation as well as floods downstream. Villages in Begkhola, Tiplyang, Mahabhir, Bhirkote, Pokharebagar, Bhurung, Tatopani, Dana uphill from Besauri and the settlements along the Kaligandaki river in Beni, Baglung, Parbat and Syangja districts have fallen into the risk zone following the incident.
The water level in the artificial pond continues to rise with landslides already burying 26 houses in Bhagwati-2 Baisari and Ramche-9. Two suspension bridges and power line poles have also been buried, inspector Upadhyaya said. As of this morning, the water level had already increased by 100 meters than the normal level.
The affected site is located some six kilometers north of Beni, the district headquarters. The Beni-Jomsom section of the road in the area has also been fully blocked.
Meanwhile, following the risk caused by the blockage of the Kaligandaki river, the inmates of Myagdi prison have been shifted to the meeting hall of the District Development Committee. Residents of Beni bazaar too are leaving for higher and safer ground including Arthunge and Mangalaghat.
An expert team of Nepal Army has already arrived here from Kathmandu for clearing the blockade to the Kaligandaki River. However, continuous landslide is making the work difficult.
Meanwhile, a statement issued by the Nepal Police headquarters in the capital says that an artificial pond spread over an area of one kilometers with a depth of 150 meters has been formed, after the Kaligandaki river was clogged by landslides.
The Nepal Police has also alerted people living along the banks of the river in various VDCs from Myagdi to Nawalparasi districts. RSS
