Incessant rain and flash flood of Hanumante River dispersed 850 earthquake victims at Maheshwori playground in Bhaktapur Municipality and some settlements in Madhyapur Thimi.

 

Hundreds of quake victims were compelled to flee their makeshifts as life was heavily disrupted till afternoon. Although life returned to normalcy in Thimi area by Thursday evening, quake victims were worried over not being able to take the water out of the ground. Schools, dozen of shops, hundreds of settlements and industrial areas built near the river were also waterlogged.

 

“It was 5 am, all of a sudden water started to come inside our settlement and we had to run away,” said Urmila Thapa, a mother of three children.  She said all her belongings submerged in the water.

“Three months ago, my house collapsed in the quake. And now the temporary settlement we had is also flooded,” said Thapa. According to her, a lot of the people in the makeshift tents have absolutely nowhere to go.

 

Earthquake victims all across Bhaktapur including Golmadi, Jeela, Suryamadi, Inachow and Sukuldhoka have been living in the temporary makeshift for the past three months in the playground.

 

Siddhi Smirti Hospital and Iwamura Memorial Hospital’s services were also disrupted throughout the day. The hospital’s ambulance and generator were submerged in water.

 

Madhyapur Thimi Metropolitan Circle informed that over 300 houses were flooded.  Urmila Thapa, a local at Radhe Radhe, said the situation was not as bad in Thimi early in the morning. “I had been to Aum Shanti for morning prayers, but when I got back home at 9 am, everyone including my children had gone to the roof of the house, and I was stuck on the way because of the flood,” said Bina Khadka.

 

Chief District Officer of Bhaktapur Toyam Raya said no casualties have been reported so far. He added that the water level had gone up to five feet in some areas. “Because of the settlement, the river’s size was compressed, and when the water level increased in the river it started to flow into the settlement,” Raya told to the Post.

 

Shrijana Nagar, Radhe Radhe, Sallaghari, Jagate, Ram Mandir area, Hanuman ghat and Adarshanagar were fully covered by water. Vehicular movement was also disrupted in Ramachap, Sindhuli, Kavre, Sindupalchwok, Dolakha by flash floods.