Archive · 27 Aug 2026
Nepal’s Bhotekoshi Flood Traveled Downstream in Nearly Ten Hours
A very large flood moved through several rivers in Nepal on Wednesday.
It entered the Bhotekoshi River from the Tibetan side and then traveled through the Trishuli and Narayani river corridors.
A magnitude 4.4 earthquake happened shortly before the flood was reported.
Some river-monitoring stations stopped sending data as the flood moved downstream.
Officials warned people in several districts by sending more than 600,000 text messages.
The water reached Malekhu and destroyed a bridge and other structures.
It later passed Muglin and reached the Devghat area.
At Devghat, the river rose to 6.57 metres before starting to fall.
The entire journey took roughly 10 hours.
A technical report estimates that a major surge entered Nepal from Tibet and added about 20 million cubic metres of water.
The sequence followed a magnitude 4.4 earthquake recorded at 8:37am on Wednesday.
Authorities sent more than 600,000 SMS warnings to residents in four districts between 9:15am and 9:16am.
The flood swept away the Phurke river bridge at 11:43am after the Malekhu station crossed its danger mark.
The surge reached Devghat by 3:20pm, peaked at 6.57 metres at 4pm, and began falling by 6:30pm.
- Who
- Residents and authorities in Nepal’s Rasuwa, Nuwakot, Dhading and Chitwan districts were affected or warned.
- What
- A major flood surge traveled from the Bhotekoshi through the Trishuli to the Narayani, causing destruction and sharply raising river levels.
- When
- The event unfolded over roughly 10 hours on Wednesday, from 8:37am until river levels began falling around 6:30pm.
- Where
- The flood moved through Nepal’s Bhotekoshi and Trishuli corridors, reaching Malekhu, Muglin and Devghat on the Narayani.
- Why
- A technical assessment says the surge entered Nepal from the Tibetan side and added about 20 million cubic metres of water to the river system.
- Estimated additional water
- About 20 million cubic metres
- Earthquake
- Magnitude 4.4, recorded at 8:37am
- SMS warnings
- More than 600,000 messages sent between 9:15am and 9:16am
- Phurke bridge
- Swept away at 11:43am
- Kalikhola peak
- 12.3 metres
- Devghat peak
- 6.57 metres at 4pm
- Monitoring disruptions
- The Syabrubesi and Betrawati stations stopped transmitting data during the event