The water level at the Kulekhani reservoir has risen to 1,527.93 metres amid continuous heavy rainfall in its watershed area, bringing it close to its maximum storage level of 1,530 metres. Officials said the reservoir was filling rapidly and warned that the level could pass 1,528 metres within a few hours, urging residents in lower riverside areas to remain alert.
Reservoir level rising rapidly
Prahlad Raut, chief of the Kulekhani First Hydropower Station, said unrelenting heavy rain across the watershed was driving the rapid rise in the reservoir. The recorded level was 2.07 metres below the stated maximum capacity, leaving little room for further accumulation if the rainfall continued.
The figures indicate that the reservoir had reached about 99.86 per cent of its maximum level. That calculation reflects the reported water level and capacity, but it does not mean that the reservoir had already reached its limit. Officials described the level as rising and warned that it could climb further in the coming hours.
Residents urged to remain alert
Makwanpur Chief District Officer Basanta Adhikari said the water level could exceed 1,528 metres within a few hours. In response to the rising level, residents of lower riverside areas have been urged to stay alert. The warning focuses on communities along lower stretches of rivers, where conditions may be affected as water levels change.
The alert comes while heavy rain continues in the reservoir’s watershed. Raut’s account links the rapid increase directly to the persistent rainfall in that area. The available information does not say that the reservoir has reached its maximum capacity, nor does it report that it has overflowed. Instead, the concern is the speed of the rise and the possibility of a higher level in the near term.
Officials monitoring a near-capacity reservoir
The gap between the current level and the maximum is narrow: 2.07 metres, based on the figures provided by officials. Adhikari’s projection that the level could pass 1,528 metres would bring it closer still to the 1,530-metre maximum. The projection is a warning about a possible near-term increase, rather than confirmation that the threshold has already been crossed.
For people living in lower riverside areas, the instruction from officials is to remain alert as conditions develop. The reservoir’s level, the continuing rainfall in the watershed and the forecast rise are the key details behind the caution. No further information was provided on specific evacuation measures, water releases or damage.
The situation remains tied to rainfall and the changing reservoir level. With the water already close to its stated maximum and officials expecting it to rise further, residents in the areas identified by the administration have been asked to take the warning seriously and follow updates from local authorities.
