Nepal’s hero principal appeals to India to rebuild flood-ravaged school

Rajendra Dawadi, principal of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School in Nepal’s Nuwakot district, is being hailed as a hero after helping save all 1,643 students when a devastating flash flood swept through the Trishuli Valley on August 26.

With the school building now destroyed, Dawadi has appealed to the Government of India for assistance to rebuild the institution and provide the children with a safe place to resume their education.

Speaking to The Pioneer, Dawadi recalled how an ordinary school morning turned into a desperate race against time. At around 9:20 am, the 47-year-old principal received an urgent call from a friend warning that a nearby village had been overwhelmed by the river.

Soon afterwards, a parent arrived at the school and warned that the river was rising rapidly.

Hundreds of students were inside or around the school’s three-storey building, which stood roughly 60 metres above the river. Realising that the situation was deteriorating quickly, Dawadi ordered the school bell to be sounded and instructed teachers to evacuate the classrooms and move the children towards higher ground.

He also contacted school bus drivers and asked them to turn back. One bus, however, could not be reached and was already crossing a bridge connecting the village with the opposite bank.

As the danger intensified, students began moving uphill. One girl reportedly suffered a panic attack and had to be taken to safety on a motorcycle, while other children escaped on foot. Dawadi remained with the students as they moved away from the river.

The floodwaters later surged through the area, destroying the school and sweeping away structures near the riverbank. The students took refuge beneath a bodhi tree as the torrent passed through the valley.

The successful evacuation saved all 1,643 students, but the disaster claimed the lives of members of the school community.

Social history teacher Santos Pariyar, 32, was swept away after returning to his rented accommodation near the river to prepare breakfast. School janitor Sultan Lama also died after reportedly returning to the school to secure it.

For Dawadi, the rescue was only the beginning of another challenge. With the school building destroyed, he is now seeking Indian assistance to reconstruct the institution so that hundreds of children can return to their studies.

The school disaster unfolded amid a wider catastrophe that has devastated parts of Nepal and neighbouring Tibet. Nepalese authorities said Sunday that 734 people had died and 2,498 remained out of contact. The figure includes hundreds of foreign nationals.

The disaster has also triggered a major emergency at hydropower projects along the affected rivers. More than 100 workers are believed to remain trapped inside several hydropower tunnels.

At the Trishuli 3A hydroelectric project, the Nepal Army inserted a pipe into one tunnel late Saturday and began supplying air to workers who may still be trapped underground.

Authorities estimate that 933 people associated with hydropower projects are missing after torrents of water, ice and debris swept through the river valleys. Rescue operations have been complicated by additional rainfall and rising river levels.

India has deployed an 11-member specialist rescue team, while China has sent a nine-member team with expertise in tunnel operations. The flash flood has been linked to a massive collapse high in the mountains near the Nepal-Tibet frontier. A large mass of ice and rock reportedly broke away from Langtang Lirung and plunged about 1,200 metres into the steep upper reaches of the Lhende Khola river, sending a destructive surge of water and debris downstream.

For the students of Tribhuvan Trishuli Secondary School, the disaster could have ended in tragedy.

Instead, an urgent warning, a ringing school bell and the quick decisions of their principal and teachers gave 1,643 children enough time to reach higher ground. Now Dawadi, celebrated for saving his students, is seeking help to ensure they have a school to return to.