Landslide Partially Blocks Nepal's Chaulani River in Darchula

THE LANDSLIDE

A large landslide struck the Bhattar area of Api Himal Rural Municipality in Nepal's Darchula district on September 4, sending debris into the Chaulani River and partially blocking its flow. Chief District Officer Bartaraj Poudel said police were dispatched to the site, though an official damage assessment had not yet been completed.

THE WARNING

The District Administration Office in Darchula issued a public notice warning that continued landslides in the area could fully block the river, raising the risk that a blockage could suddenly burst and send a flash flood downstream. Authorities urged residents along the riverbank and in lower-lying areas to stay alert and take precautions.

ON THE GROUND

Security personnel from the Nepal Chameliya Hydropower Security Base in Balanch were deployed to monitor the river and warn nearby communities if conditions worsened, while police separately assessed the landslide site itself. The event was independently reported by multiple outlets tracking Nepal's flood response, distinct from the country's main August 26 disaster but feeding the same broader alert level.

THE BIGGER PICTURE

The landslide adds to an already dire flood season for Nepal, where the nationwide death toll from flash floods and landslides has climbed past 1,300, with nearly 5,000 people still reported missing. Darchula, in Nepal's far-western Sudurpashchim Province, has seen repeated landslide activity in recent days as heavy monsoon rain continues to destabilize slopes across the region.