2014 Sunkoshi blockage

Lake formed by Sunkoshi blockage

Jure area after landslide

On August 2, 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]

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 has 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