Sambhu Kumar Mandal, a 38-year-old from Sitamarhi in Bihar, has been working in Nepal alongside dozens of fellow Indian migrant workers. They have been engaged in reconstruction projects in Sindhupalchok, rebuilding homes destroyed in the 2015 earthquake. Like many others, Mandal never imagined that six years later, the district would face another catastrophe: devastating flash floods on June 14-15.

Mandal and his colleagues, including carpenters, plumbers, and painters, had been busy with post-earthquake reconstruction when the floodwaters struck. “When we crossed the bridge after work on Tuesday, the water was rising, but we didn’t think much of it,” Mandal recalls. That night, they were forced to flee to higher ground, spending a sleepless night watching the water rise.

One week later, Mandal and other workers are now digging up valuables and salvaging furniture from houses buried up to the second floor in mud and silt. The streets of Melamchi Bazar are covered in thick sediment, littered with belongings, and reek of decay as the river has cut through homes. Officials estimate at least 50 people are still missing, with the confirmed death toll in Sindhupalchok at 17, including Chinese, Indian, and Nepali staff from the Melamchi Water Supply Project. 

Satellite imagery reveals that landslides triggered by the 2015 earthquakes in the Melamchi and Indrawati basins expanded due to intense rainfall on June 15. A large landslide below Dongdhing village temporarily blocked the Melamchi River, which later burst through, causing massive flooding. Local officials, like Yadav Khanal, head of social security for Melamchi municipality, are tirelessly coordinating relief efforts. They are providing meals and shelter for 30 families and assessing the damage. However, communication with remote areas remains difficult due to road damage, and the threat of further rainfall looms. 

Some of Mandal’s colleagues have already returned to Bihar, especially those who lost everything in the flood. Mandal, however, plans to stay a bit longer to help with the cleanup. “We will also go to Kathmandu in a few days and look for work there,” he says in fluent Nepali, acquired over years in Nepal. “After that, I may even return to Melamchi, as there will surely be more reconstruction work to do.”

2021