Lamjung, Sept. 30 -- It has been four days since Sumit Pandey, who works at Citizen Bank's branch in Manang, has been able to get to and from his office. The bank is in Chame's main market, and Pandey normally only needs to cross a motorable bridge over the Marsyangdi river to get to work from where he lives. But the bridge was submerged by floodwaters, disrupting his daily routine.

"I could probably manage by taking the road around Talekhu, but the Marsyangdi is also swollen there, and it is risky," Pandey said.

The Marsyangdi was blocked after the Ghatte river, which originates from Lamjung Himal, carried down a huge volume of mud, rocks, sand and debris along and deposited it in the Marsyangdi river. As water levels rose, the motorab...