Nepal-Tibet Flood: I Was Saved Because of an Exam, But a Part of My Past Ended
Image source, Courtesy: Tikaram Pokharel
Tikaram Pokharel from Syangja believes that if it hadn’t been for his exam on Bhadra 10, he too would have been among those missing in the Bhotekoshi flood.
He is a Senior Immigration Assistant at the Rasuwagadhi Immigration Office.
His office is located near the Nepal-China border, in the region hardest hit by last week’s devastating flood.
Initial reports indicated that four people, including the head of his office, were missing in the flood. Later, the body of the office chief Yadav Bhandari was confirmed found in West Nawalparasi.
Pokharel, who joined the government service nearly a decade ago, had returned to Kathmandu three days before the flood to attend an exam.
‘The Exam Saved Me’
Had he not been attending the exam, Pokharel would have been serving pilgrims and tourists gathered to travel to Kailash Mansarovar, together with his colleagues, from early morning on Wednesday, when the flood struck.
He said, “It feels like the exam saved me. Without it, I would have been right there. Because the crowd of pilgrims going to Kailash is huge.”
According to Monday night’s data, officials reported almost 1,000 deaths and about 4,000 missing in the devastating flood of the Bhotekoshi River in Rasuwā.
Most bodies have been recovered hundreds of kilometers away from Rasuwā in Chitwan, Nawalparasi East and West.
Image source, Courtesy: Tikaram Pokharel
Pokharel, who has worked at the Immigration Office located in Ghatte Khola, Rasuwā since the end of last year, says he has not yet been able to contact most of the people he knew in the area.
To reach the office location, the most affected area, one must cross the Timure area heavily impacted by the flood.
What Do We Know About the Immigration Office Location?
Image source, Photo Credit: Tikaram Pokharel
Pokharel, who believes Ghatte Khola — the last market towards Nepal’s side — suffered the most damage, says the area is still ‘neglected.’
Besides tourists entering Tibet, freight trucks and passenger vehicles from Kathmandu, including travel agencies’ buses, are parked there.
He also shares that there are around 50 to 60 houses and four water resource project offices near the Immigration Office, stating, “Collectively, I believe this region suffered the greatest human loss.”
Tikaram adds, “That morning at 8:20, I contacted Yadav Bhandari regarding office work. Around 300-400 pilgrims were lined up to enter China. We don’t have exact figures on how many entered Nepal through this checkpoint.”
“Those thousands of people, travel guides, vehicles, and locals combined might have been over 2,000 at Ghatte Khola.”
This information has not been independently verified. He added, “I have not been able to contact local residents nor meet them, but three colleagues have arrived in Kathmandu alive.”
“We are in direct contact with them but have not yet seen any names among the dead or rescued. The situation remains critical.”
Did Pilgrims Who Cleared Immigration Enter China?
Image source, NurPhoto via Getty Images
According to the Immigration Department, at 8:35:03 am on the day of the flood, 89 people (Nepali and foreigners) had departed the office and four had entered Nepal.
The last update was entered by Immigration Assistant Parvati Manandhar, who herself is missing.
The Miteri Bridge near the Nepal-China border is about 2 kilometers from the Immigration Office. Since tourists heading to Mansarovar reportedly pass Chinese immigration, Pokharel suspects none of these individuals had crossed the Chinese immigration checkpoint.
“The road is rough. The office opens at 8 am. Even though their procedures seemed underway, the flood stopped everything abruptly.”
More than 500 people obtained permits to enter Tibet from Nepal the day before. Since the Chinese immigration office closes at 3 pm, about 150 to 200 people might have left early the next morning.
Immigration Office spokesperson Shivprasad Lamsal said, “We cannot confirm whether those who departed crossed the border or not. After the chief’s body was found, the family took charge for the final rites.”
Exhaustion and Rebirth
Last year in Ashar, a flood destroyed the Miteri Bridge on the Nepal-China border, closing the border crossing.
With the help of Chinese authorities, a Bailey bridge was installed that began operation last Poush. Nearly 54,000 tourists passed through this checkpoint last fiscal year.
After the border closure, authorities facilitated tourist travel to Tibet through Kodari and Hilsa crossings.
Pokharel was assigned to the office only last Chaitra. Following last year’s flood, they have been on alert for potential disasters.
“The office was about 100 meters from the river and surrounded by hills. The riverbed was narrow. When the flood came, vibrations occurred from the hill side. We have woken up at night before to go outside.”
This time too, after the tremors before the flood, colleagues might have stayed alert but likely had no chance to reach a safe place, Pokharel fears.
“From recent photos and videos, it looks like the flood passed 100-150 meters above our office. We had identified higher ground on the hill where people could have escaped. But the flood was too fast and powerful; they couldn’t escape.”
Having given the exam just one day before the flood, Pokharel says he could hardly stay silent for many hours upon hearing the news.
He said, “Many friends called. I couldn’t speak. Families of colleagues also reached out. I worked with the Home Ministry and the department to understand the situation. I informed seniors about a pasture uphill from Ghatte Khola where people might escape. I was requesting a helicopter be sent there.”
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