Two hours of torrential rain triggered flash floods in the Sharada river and several mountain streams on Saturday afternoon, causing widespread damage across parts of Salyan district in western Nepal.

The floods affected wards 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 of Bagchaur Municipality and wards 1 and 2 of Chhatreshwari Rural Municipality, damaging dozens of development projects, farmland, roads and drinking water systems.

Local officials said swollen rivers and streams washed away more than two dozen roads, irrigation canals, embankments, culverts and water pipelines. More than 100 ropanis (5.09 hectares) of farmland planted with wheat, vegetables and oranges were also damaged after floodwaters spread across fields along the Sharada river.

The floods also swept away a tractor carrying harvested wheat, a traditional water mill and even a funeral pyre that was burning near the riverbank. Separate landslides triggered by the rain damaged two houses.

Transport remained disrupted on Sunday in several parts of Bagchaur Municipality after roads cracked and sections of infrastructure collapsed. Floodwaters also buried drinking water sources, damaged storage tanks and swept away pipelines, leaving hundreds of households struggling to access water.

Yatra Bahadur Dangi, ward chair of Bagchaur-9, said floods had severely damaged around three dozen roads, both old and newly constructed, within the ward.

He said four drinking water schemes were affected after water sources were buried and pipelines and tanks were damaged. Floodwaters also washed away local water mills and damaged two homes.

“Farmers have also suffered losses in ginger, potato and orange farms due to the prolonged rainfall,” Dangi said.

According to him, authorities are still collecting details of the losses caused by the floods and landslides.

With roads rendered unusable, vehicles have stopped operating in several settlements, while more than 300 families have been forced to walk long distances to fetch water from alternative sources.

In ward 6, chair Gyan Bahadur Oli said the floods damaged the Himchaur drinking water project, completed only last year at Rs5 million.

The damage has affected around 120 households, forcing residents to spend hours each day searching for water, he said.

Prem Bahadur DC, chair of ward 7, said floodwaters destroyed more than a dozen irrigation canals and damaged six or seven small and large drinking water projects.

He added that swathes of farmland had been buried by debris and flood sediment, while culverts and hume pipes placed along roads were swept away.

More than 200 families in the ward have been affected by disruptions to drinking water supplies, he said.

Gyan Prasad Sharma, chair of ward 8, said a retaining wall under construction at Kalakhet had also been damaged by the floods.

Meanwhile, Sushil Jung Chand, chair of ward 10, said floodwaters buried the water sources of four drinking water schemes. Municipal officials are now discussing emergency repairs to damaged infrastructure, he said.

In neighbouring Chhatreshwari Rural Municipality, ward chair Prakash Hamal said floods washed away slab concrete work on a pedestrian trail under construction at Faruli, Dahkholi and Lakhuribot.

He said the Lasune Kafalabang drinking water project had also suffered major damage, affecting around 250 households in the Damachaur market.

Hailstorms accompanying the rain caused additional damage to kiwi and orange farms in the area, Hamal added.