Nepal forms committee to name destructive floods — Kathmandu Post

The Nepalese government has formed a committee to find an appropriate name for the recent destructive floods in the Lende–Bhotekoshi–Trishuli corridor. As stated in a Kathmandu Post column, its author called for choosing a local name for this phenomenon rather than limiting it to a cumbersome scientific description.

The proposed name gangbal

The author proposes considering the word “gangbal.” According to his research and conversations with local residents, it is connected to Tamang traditional beliefs about a large water serpent.

The author describes the phenomenon as a fast-moving debris flood which, in his view, is caused by cascading failures of rock and ice. He believes the name should be sought among communities in the upper part of Rasuwa district, where the disaster occurred. In his opinion, the committee’s work should take into account local residents’ environmental knowledge, their vulnerability, and their experience of living near dangerous rivers.

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Tamang oral traditions

Suryaman Ng'yema Karma Himdung Tamang from the affected Ward-5 of Kishpang Rural Municipality told the author that his father, Lal Bir Himdung Tamang, learned the word “gangbal” from Tschong Gongbo Tamang. According to Suryaman’s recollections, the word was associated with a large water serpent that moved ahead of floodwaters through mountain canyons.

Other interlocutors of the author also recalled stories passed down by older generations about gangbal and warnings not to build homes near rivers. Linguist Ajitman Tamang linked the concept to a legend about an ancient lake in the Kathmandu Valley and the water serpent ng'yembu. The column’s author stresses that the final choice of a name should be made with the participation of experts in the Tamang language and culture.