A flood in Mahakali River has started eroding the embankment at Bhimdatta Municipality-11 in Kanchan-pur district.

On Sunday, the river eroded the levee that was constructed near Bhujela last year. Technicians from the People’s Embankment Programme (PEP), Kanchanpur said the flood caused by incessant rains in the hilly areas of the far-western region started eroding the banks on Saturday night.

PEP chief Bhilananda Yadav said the embankment would be destroyed if the dike is swept away. “We are going to protect the embankment with gabions,” he said. Shankar Chhetri of Bhujela said they have been alerted against the river flooding their settlement.

The volume of water in the river was measured at 280,000 cusec (cubic metres per second) on Saturday, which came down to 230,000 on Sunday afternoon. Vehicular movement on the Banbasa Bridge was halted after the water level crossed the 100,000 cusec mark, police said.

People living in settlements on the Mahakali riverbanks in Darchula have been terrorised by the flood. Locals said the water level started rising on Saturday evening after heavy rainfall.

In Mugu, three houses were swept away by a landslide in Magri VDC. Police said 18-year-old Pushkar Bham of Chhahil Bagar has gone missing in the disaster. Around 190 cattle of Chimath Village were also swept away, police said.

In Pyuthan, a 67-year-old man of Rajbara-6 drowned in the Ranibagar stream on Saturday. Police found the body on its bank on Sunday.

Koshi flow hits record this year

RAJBIRAJ: The water level in the Saptakoshi river was recorded the highest this monsoon. There has been an incessant rainfall in the hill districts since Saturday night. The flow of water in the river was measured at 233,880 cusec on Saturday night. However, there was a drop in water level to 198,985 cusec on Sunday morning. Twenty of the 56 floodgates of Koshi Barrage have been opened after the flood.