CHANDIGARH: 50-year-old Gain Singh, who worked as a foreman at the 216 MW Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower project in Rasuwa when flash floods struck Nepal, returned to his native Maloh village in Mandi district in Himachal Pradesh on September 1.
He was rescued by the Nepalese army in a helicopter after he spent two terrifying days marooned on the hilltop.
Gain Singh had gone to Nepal about eight months ago along with other staff after working with a hydropower construction company in Chamba in Himachal Pradesh.
While recalling the ordeal, Singh, surrounded by his family members, turned emotional and said that the August 26 morning began like any other working day, but by the evening, he was stranded on a hilltop, watching floodwaters tear through a hydropower project.
He wondered whether he would ever see his family again.
"I spoke to my family at around 6.30 am and told them I was leaving for duty. I had no idea that within a few hours, our lives would change completely. My reporting time was 7 am, and that morning, the weather was good and it was sunny. I had no idea that something like this could happen. I was working inside the powerhouse and, at around 9.30 am, cold winds started blowing. It was unusual. We had never experienced such winds before," he said.
"Moments later, a deafening sound came from the project gates. Then came the water. I rushed outside. I saw three men approaching. They appeared to be drenched in water and covered in mud. They told me that water had entered the area. At that point, I did not realise that it was a massive flood,” he added.
As the water rose rapidly, he and others eventually took refuge on a hilltop.
Singh further said that there was hardly any time to understand what was happening, and he, along with other workers, could only run for their lives.
They took refuge on the hilltop as the roads and access routes were cut off; they waited anxiously, not knowing when, or whether, help would arrive.
He further said that a massive surge of floodwater swept through the project area with terrifying speed, leaving the workers barely any time to react.
He said that around 110 people at the project managed to survive and added that one of his colleagues was swept away by the powerful current.
"We came out through an exit tunnel and around 10 am, we moved to a small nearby hillside for safety and stayed there for about two to three hours until the situation was calm. Then, we again came down to the camp only to see nothing left behind. Our camps, vehicles and machinery had been washed away. I heard that around 98 people from our company are still missing,’’ said Singh.
Singh added that they stayed in the control building until that evening.
At around 10 pm the same night, they got a warning that another flood could hit the place. Hence, they returned to the hillside and stayed there for three to four hours.
Again, they came back to the building when the situation returned to normal and stayed there. The Nepalese Army arrived on August 27 and told them they would be rescued. They were evacuated by helicopter and taken to the Bhattar Army camp, where they were provided food, medicines and other essential items. From there, they were taken to Kathmandu, where they stayed in a hotel for three days and later flew to Delhi.
For his family, the entire episode was a nightmare.
His wife, Kalavati, and son, Suraj, said they were devastated when news of the Nepal disaster appeared on television and social media.
"Singh called Suraj to say that he had been rescued and was safe. It was a miracle. We had lost hope and feared the worst. God saved him,’’ they said.
Five people from Himachal Pradesh were working at the project along with Singh. Three have returned safely, while one worker from Una district remains missing.
Of the other Himachali survivors, one is from Talyahad in Mandi district and currently lives in Delhi, while another is from Rampur in Shimla district.