At least 20 people have died in the Sani Bheri and Thuli Bheri rivers in western Rukum over the past three years, with people drowning or being swept away while fishing, collecting firewood, gathering riverbed materials, crossing the rivers or swimming.

According to data from the District Police Office in Rukum West, five people died after being swept away or drowning in the two rivers in the fiscal year 2023-24, six died in 2024-25 and seven in 2025-26.

The rivers have continued to claim lives this year. Dev Oli of Musikot Municipality-10, who was swept away while casting a net to catch fish in the Sani Bheri river, was found dead last Tuesday, four days after he went missing.

Prem Rokaya of Sanibheri Rural Municipality-1 was also swept away and went missing while trying to retrieve firewood from the Sani Bheri river. He had not been found as of Thursday.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Bed Bahadur Paudel, Rukum West police chief, said people regularly enter the rivers for fishing, collecting firewood, extracting gravel and sand, crossing the water or swimming, often without taking basic safety precautions.

“People do not appear to follow even basic safety measures,” Paudel said. “Many deaths have occurred because people enter the rivers recklessly.”

He said the construction of suspension bridges in many parts of the district had largely eliminated the need for people to enter rivers simply to travel from one place to another.

“There is almost no longer a compulsion to enter the rivers for transportation,” he said. “But people still go into the rivers for other activities without properly considering the risks. Individuals need to be more careful in the first place.”

Nishan Raj Gautam, Chief District Officer of Rukum West, said the District Disaster Management Committee was working to respond quickly to river-related accidents and carry out search and rescue operations.

“We now have boats that can be used to search for and rescue people in river accidents,” Gautam said. “But that alone is not enough. We need additional equipment and trained personnel to deal with these incidents effectively.”