Kaligandaki floods turn Ratopani hot spring site into a gravel bed

Monsoon downpours that persisted from the eighth through the eleventh day of the month of Asoj triggered significant flooding and erosion along the Kaligandaki river. The rising waters entirely erased the physical structures of the hot spring location in Ratopani, situated within Annapurna rural municipality ward number six in Myagdi. Ward Chairperson Ram Bahadur Khadka reported that the flooding washed away approximately NPR 1 crore of infrastructure investments accumulated over the past nine years. The local administration had focused on developing the site into a prominent tourism attraction, but the river now flows directly through the former pool area. The disaster dismantled reinforced retaining walls, bathing pools designed for immersion, shelters, resting areas, and restroom facilities. Furthermore, the natural thermal water source shifted roughly thirty metres downward from its original location, disrupting local hospitality businesses and employment opportunities that relied on visiting travellers. Positioned next to the Beni-Jomsom highway, the spring boasts a discharge rate of eleven litres per second alongside a water temperature of fifty-six degrees. The loss of these facilities has severely impacted community earnings and regional tourism activities connected to the mineral spring.