Sunkoshi blockage
Details
CountryNepal
Incident typeFlood
CauseBlockage
Statistics
Deaths156
Lake formed by Sunkoshi blockage
Jure area after landslide

On 2 August 2014, due to heavy rainfall, a landslide occurred at the Sunkoshi river, killing 156 people and blocking the river to form an artificial lake in Sindhupalchok District, Nepal.[1][2] Araniko Highway, the main (and only) artery of goods and people flow to China, was blocked by the landslide ripping out 5 km of highway, and causing huge traffic jam.

The landslide, which had a volume of 5.5 million cubic metres[3] swept away 2 dozen houses.[4]

This landslide had massive effects far beyond the local area, not evident from the pictures. The dammed river threatened to unleash a torrent of water upon hundreds of downstream villages that would have ravaged as far as Northern India.[5] Despite the use of dynamite, it took the Nepali Army 45 days to dig a canal through the blockage to allow water in the lake to drain.[6] The lake created was 47 meters deep and over 400 meters long.[7] The hasty emergency draining through the lake canal itself caused damage to houses downstream and threatened to take out Lamusanghu Hydropower Dam.[8]

2015 earthquakes

Following earthquakes in April and May 2015, concern was expressed that the dam might have become unstable leading to a risk of further flooding downstream of the blockage.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "Downstream areas to be announced flood crisis zone". myrepublica.com. Retrieved August 2, 2014.
  2. ↑ "The Himalayan Times : Landslides block Sunkoshi River' locals being evacuated – Detail News : Nepal News Portal". thehimalayantimes.com. Archived from the original on August 10, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  3. ↑ "Before and After the Sunkosi Landslide". Earth Observatory. NASA. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Massive landslide blocks Sunkoshi River, 8 killed | Top Stories". ekantipur.com. Archived from the original on August 8, 2014. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Water level plunges as Sunkoshi dam breaks open | Top Stories". Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  6. ↑ "Nepal Army unblocks river dammed by landslide - The Hindu". The Hindu.
  7. ↑ "Water level plummets in artificial Sunkoshi lake (Photo feature)". www.myrepublica.com. Archived from the original on September 7, 2014.
  8. ↑ "The Himalayan Times : Sunkoshi Lake bursts after 35 days of formation - Detail News : Nepal News Portal". Archived from the original on September 7, 2014. Retrieved September 7, 2014.
  9. ↑ Ravilious, Kate (May 13, 2015). "Quake heightens Nepal landslide concern". BBC News Online. Retrieved May 16, 2015.


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