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]
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]
