2014 Sunkoshi blockage

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. 2 dozens houses have been swept by the landslide.[3] The landslide had a volume of 5.5 million cubic metres.[4]

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

This landslide had massive effects far beyond, not evident from the pictures. The dammed river was threatening to unleash a torrent of water to hundreds of downstream villages that would ravage 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 threatens 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. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  3. "Massive landslide blocks Sunkoshi River, 8 killed | Top Stories". ekantipur.com. Retrieved August 8, 2014.
  4. "Before and After the Sunkosi Landslide". Earth Observatory. NASA. Retrieved May 22, 2015.
  5. http://www.ekantipur.com/2014/09/07/top-story/water-level-plunges-as-sunkoshi-dam-breaks-open/394673.html
  6. http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/south-asia/nepal-army-unblocks-sunkoshi-river-dammed-by-landslide/article6388064.ece
  7. http://www.myrepublica.com/portal/index.php?action=news_details&news_id=82612
  8. http://www.thehimalayantimes.com/fullNews.php?headline=Artificial+Sunkoshi+Lake+brusts+in+Sindhupalchok&NewsID=426671
  9. Ravilious, Kate (May 13, 2015). "Quake heightens Nepal landslide concern". BBC News Online. Retrieved May 16, 2015.


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