A viral video of a house in Nepal’s Trishuli Bazaar area has drawn global attention after the structure remained standing even as devastating floods swept away surrounding buildings, vehicles, trees, stones and chunks of ice. a family remained on the third floor and survived the disaster While two floors of the house were submerged.
The sudden flooding put the lives of around 1,000 children at risk, although they survived. As a result, several structures were swept away. Because it was not directly struck by a large boulder, the house that survived was also fortunate. Its survival has therefore raised an important question about whether buildings in other flood-prone areas, including parts of India, are strong enough to withstand similar disasters.
The children are now returning to the school to search for the school bags they lost in the disaster. The analysis also examined why other structures in the area collapsed and whether houses in vulnerable Himalayan and Indian regions are adequately equipped to withstand floods of similar intensity. The house’s survival was primarily attributed to its strong RCC construction. It had sturdy pillars made of iron and concrete, along with a good and deep foundation. The design of the upper floor also allowed its weight to be distributed properly across the structure below, helping the building withstand the enormous pressure. In contrast, many of the surrounding houses were built using lighter construction methods and were unable to withstand the force of the debris and fast-moving water. The videos emerging from Nepal also show that the disaster was not a conventional flood. The powerful flow contained water, mud, stones, ice and trees, creating a massive debris flow that moved like a wall and destroyed weaker structures. Its structural strength enabled it to absorb the pressure generated by the fast-moving debris and floodwaters. Experts also examined why the structure remained intact despite the destruction around it. The house’s survival was considered a combination of sound construction quality and an element of luck. The devastation in Nepal highlights the importance of stronger construction in vulnerable Himalayan regions. The force and speed of the floodwaters, combined with heavy debris and stones, caused bridges to collapse, multi-storey buildings to be swept away and several areas to be buried under one to two metres of mud. The owner of the house had constructed the property with the safety of the family in mind after taking the surrounding conditions into account. Meanwhile, the Zee News team reached a flood-affected school in Nepal’s Dhading district. The ground report from the school captures the aftermath of the devastating floods and the impact the disaster has had on children and local communities.
In today’s episode of DNA, Rahul Sinha, Managing Editor of Zee News, conducted a detailed analysis of how the house managed to withstand the powerful floodwaters and debris flow.
