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Death toll rises to 17 in flood
displaced camps
Five more persons who were
displaced by the Koshi floods
died while undergoing treatment
from a serious bout of diarrhea
in hospitals in flood hit
Sunsari and Saptari district on
6th September. With this, the
death toll in the aftermath of
the floods has reached 17.
Reports with citation of police
claimed that Babita Ray, 45, and
Mohhamed Khatun, 25, both locals
of Haripur, Sunsari succumbed to
diarrhea while undergoing
treatment.
Similarly, hundreds of flood
victims housed in 20
government-run camps of Sunsari
are suffering from diseases like
diarrhea, pneumonia, typhoid and
cold. The government is running
medical centers in the camps to
keep a check on the
deteriorating health and
sanitation condition of the
flood displaced. On 5th
September, Health Minister
Girirajmani Pokharel promised
that medical teams, including
eight gynecologists will be
mobilized at camps for the
displaced people from Saturday.
"Our main concern is to contain
diseases inside the camps, which
are likely to reach epidemic
proportions if not acted upon
immediately," he said. "The
camps should be insulated
against the cold and provided
with safe drinking water and
proper toilets."
Similarly, reports from Saptari
said that three more persons who
were displaced by the Koshi
floods died while undergoing
treatment. The deceased have
been identified as Kasira Khatun,
26 from Haripur-8, Sunsari, Goma
Chaudhary, 24, of Fattepur-1,
Saptari and Jham Bahadur Thapa
Magar, 65. While Khatun
succumbed to diarrhea, Chaudhary
and Thapa Magar died due to
snake-bite yesterday.
Whereas, Nona Koirala Memorial Institute, Biratnagar, with the help
of doctors' team provided
medical service to 300 pregnant
women and nursing mothers
yesterday. According to Narayan
Kumar, a medical officer, women
living in a camp at Bhokraha
were provided with health
facilities and pregnant women
were examined. The health camp
is supported by Abhay Narayan
Hospital, Biratnagar.
Meanwhile, the government is
planning to shift the Koshi
flood displaced, who are taking
shelter in 20 government run
camps of Sunsari, to new
shelters. Chief District
Officer (CDO) Durga Prasad
Bhandari told that over 27,000
people of Shripur, Haripur,
Paschim Kusaaha and Aschim
Laukahi VDCs, forced out from
their villages due to the flood
three weeks ago, will be
rehabilitated in three new
sectors.
The government has decided to
house around 8000 displaced on a
state owned land at Laukahi,
some 7000 inside the Eastern
Regional Prison at Jhumka and
the rest at Simiray, according
to the report. "We are also
holding discussion with the
Indian security agencies for
repatriation of the displaced
from bordering Indian villages,
who had swarmed to Nepal in the
wake of the flood," said
Bhandari. Sunsari
administration estimates that
over 10,000 Indians are staying
in the district based displaced
shelters at present.
(Posted on 7th September)

Three missing in Damauli flood
Three members of a family in
Dhorphedi VDC-7 of Tanahun have
been missing since six days
after Saraudi river swept away
them. Inspector at Area Police
Office, Belchautari, Narahari
Regmi said 75-year-old Keyarman
Shreshta and his two grandsons
have been missing. It is learnt
that they were heading to home
from Damauli on August 31 after
attending a programme and were
swept away by the river while
trying to cross it. Despite
several efforts by their
relatives and the police, they
have not found yet.
Likewise, property worth
millions of rupees has been
damaged due to landslides
triggered by incessant rainfall
in Ward No 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9 of
Syamgha VDC of Tanahu.
Landslides damaged rice crop,
irrigation canal and dam. The
landslide swept away over 150
ropanis of rice field, damaged
over a dozen of dams, three
cowsheds and nearly three
kilometres section of irrigation
canal, said Siddhibhakta Kandel
of the VDC. The landslide also
damaged Sindhu Highway causing a
disruption in traffic movement.
Meanwhile, 155kg of rice has
been distributed as relief to
six families of Barbhanjyang VDC
who were displaced due to a
landslide nearly a week ago. In
Chautara, Sindhupalchowk DDC and
district natural disaster rescue
committee have decided to
provide Rs 9,000 relief to each
of the 18 Majhi families
affected by flood in Indravati
River in Badegaun VDC-4 of the
district.
The DDC will contribute Rs 4,000
and the district natural
disaster relief committee Rs
5,000 to the relief to each of
the families, according to CDO
Kailashnath Kharel. The river
has eroded over 200 ropanis of
land in the Majhi settlement in
the village this rainy season.
Some of the affected families
have been displaced from the
village and are living in
makeshift camps in a nearby
jungle.
Similarly, a landslide has
displaced 25 households from
Kulung village development
committee of Bhojpur. According
to the Bhojpur district police
office, families of Ekraj Giri,
Karna Bahadur Neupane, Indra
Bahadur Khadka and Mahindra Rai
are among the displaced. The
victims have been putting up in
houses of neighbours and
relatives. Meanwhile, a
landslide swept away a paddy
field of Bal Bahadur Charmakar
in Mulpani VDC-6 on Thursday.
In Lamjung, twenty-eight electricity transmitters were damaged at
Dhamilikuwa, Tarkughat,
Bhalayakharka, Chakratirtha and
the adjoining villages due to
the landslides triggered by
heavy rainfall, leaving hundreds
of locals in darkness since past
one week. Some 15 electricity
poles fell down because of the
landslides and floods in the
areas.
(Posted on 7th September)

Furnitures and textbooks
urgently required to resume
schools
Schools in Inaruwa and other
flood-affected areas of Sunsari
district have remained closed
for 19 days, affecting thousands
of students. The closure came
after school buildings were
inundated following flooding in
the Saptakoshi River. The
shutdown has affected 15,000
students of Haripur, Sripur,
Paschim Kusaha and Laukahi, the
displaced said.
According to Sunsari District
Education Officer Deepak Kafle,
over 16,000 students of schools,
college and madrasa in Inaruwa
and adjoining areas have not
been able to give continuity to
studies. "Academic activities
cannot resume till flood
victims, who have been taking
shelter in school and college
buildings, are shifted
elsewhere," Kafle said.
To enable schools and colleges
to resume academic activities,
the government should make
alternative arrangements for the
flood victims first, he said.
"The Saptakoshi flood has
inundated 17 community school
buildings, six madrasas, 13
buildings of private and
boarding schools and 24 child
development centres in Paschim
Kusaha, Haripur, Sripur and
Laukahi VDCs in Sunsari
district," Kafle said. "The
flooded Saptakoshi has swept
away dresses, textbooks and
teaching materials.
Educational institutes will
not be able to resume classes
unless they get textbooks and
dresses."
Saying that the Ministry of
Education has been urged to
supply textbooks and other
teaching materials, Kafle said
discussions were underway with
donor agencies to provide school
uniforms to the students.
"Though teaching materials and
dresses can be managed, it will
be difficult to run classes in
flood-affected areas," Jagadish
Oli, a district-based
educationist said. As the
flooding has damaged chairs,
benches and other physical
infrastructure of Inaruwa-based
schools and colleges, it will be
difficult to resume classes.
"Seventy-five per cent of
furniture belonging to Inaruwa-based
schools, colleges and madrasas
has been damaged. They will have
to be repaired before the
resumption of academic
activities," DEO Kafle said.
Lakhs of rupees will be needed
for the resumption of academic
activities in educational
institutes of the district,
Sunsari CDO Durga Bhandari said.
"As more than 3,000 furniture
items of schools, colleges and
madrasas in Inaruwa have been
damaged. These items should be
repaired to run the educational
institutes," said Satya Narayan
Meheta, headmaster of the BAL
Mandir School, said.
"Discussions are underway with
international non-governmental
organisations, including the
UNICEF, World Vision, Plan Nepal
and Save the Children, to resume
academic activities in the
educational institutes," DEO
Kafle said, adding, "It will
take at least a week's time to
resume classes."
(Posted on 7th September)

Koshi dam in top priority during
India visit
Minister for Physical Planning
and Works Bijaya Kumar Gachhdar
has
said top priority will be given
to the construction of a high
dam on the Koshi River during
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal
Dahal's visit to India. "Koshi
high dam is India's top priority
and it is Nepal's priority too,"
Gachchhadar said at Reporters'
Club Nepal on 5th September,
adding, "Therefore, this issue
will be taken up with special
focus during the PM's visit."
He also informed that the government is planning to operate two
motorized boats within eight to
ten days along the damaged
section of East-West Highway as
an immediate alternative to
bridges. The motor boats will
ferry passengers free of cost.
The government is also planning
to operate ferries at
Chatara-Dharan road within a few
weeks as an alternative route.
Following the damage to the East-West Highway due to Koshi floods,
the whole eastern region has
been cut off from the rest of
the country while people in the
central, western and other parts
of the country have been facing
shortage of essential goods.
"Transportation is the major
challenge at the moment,
therefore we have to resume
vehicle operation along the
route within four months," he
said, adding, "Embankment and
other reconstruction works
should be completed within the
next nine months." People's
movement will significantly
increase along the roads within
a few weeks due to arrival of
Dashain and Tihar festival.
The government has decided to allocate Rs 2.5 billion for relief
and rehabilitation of people
affected by Koshi floods and
reconstruction of damaged
infrastructure. The Ministry of
Physical Planning and Works had
proposed Rs 550 million for an
alternative route to the the
Highway and for repairing the
damaged section of the Highway.
On the other hand, the district
administration has been working
on a war footing to rehabilitate
flood victims. It said the
preparation to rehabilitate the
flood victims is nearing
completion. Chief District
Officer of Sunsari Durga
Bhandari said the flood victims
will be resettled in three
places -- on the premises of
Jhumka-based regional prison
premises, on the ground near the
Laukahi Customs and on the
premises of the Simariya-based
Crystal Industry. The chief
district officer said 8,000
displaced persons would be
resettled in Jhumka within 1 or
2 days. Laukahi and Simariya
will also accommodate the same
number of flood victims.
Authorities are busy building
infrastructure on the regional
prison premises. Work is in
progress in Laukahi also. CDO
Bhandari said construction of
infrastructure would be
completed in Simariya soon. At
least 28,000 Koshi flood victims
have been taking shelter in
temporary camps set up in
Sunsari.
Meanwhile, Indian government
engineers have begun digging a
new channel to correct the
course of Koshi River that burst
its banks, causing devastating
flooding across vast tracts of
land on both sides of the
Indo-Nepal border. “Work on
shifting the river back has
begun,” said D Rajak, a senior
engineer. Rajak said engineers
plan to cut a 7-8 km-long
channel to divert the water so
that it flows back along its
usual westward direction. The
channel would allow workers to
plug the more than 1.7 km-long
breaches in the river’s
embankment, he said.
In another separate program on
6th September, the speakers
called for a long-term plan to
control soil erosion in the
Chure and Tarai regions. The
call comes at a time when rivers
have been washing away hundreds
of hectares of fertile land. The
rate of river-triggered erosion
is higher in Tarai and Chure
regions compared to hilly
districts, said Lal Bahadur
Kurmi, an expert on erosion
control. He said saplings of
bamboo, Khayar, Sissoo and Simal
should be planted to control
erosion in Chure and Tarai,
adding that District Development
Committees, the Office of
Water-Induced Disaster Control
and the District Forest Offices
should work in tandem to control
erosion.
“Soil erosion can be controlled
to a great extent by creating
greenbelts along river banks in
Tarai and building gabion
walls,” Kurmi said. The District
Soil Erosion Office releases Rs
20 lakh every year to control
erosion, which is simply not
enough. “With this much budget,
we can only take short-term
measures to control erosion,”
said Prem Narayan Jha, an
officer at the Siraha District
Soil Conservation Office, urging
the government to form a
long-term strategy to control
erosion.
(Posted on 7th September)

Starvation hits five VDCs of
Mugu
People of Mugu district have
been suffering as there has been
rain for long this time as they
had been suffering sometimes
from draught, sometimes epidemic
and sometimes from flood.
They have been leaving for
neighboring India from remote
villages after they were faced
with starvation because of heavy
rain and reduced production. The
most affected are five VDCs of
Karma region known as the driest
place of the district. Karma
Tamang of Karat said 45
households of Dolfu VDC, 20 of
Chitai, 18 of Kartigaun, and 30
of Kimri Gaun and 20 of Mugu
village have left for India.
He said the production of nafal
and potato crop grown once a
year has not been satisfactory,
the price of Yarsagumba was
decreased and Namchya pass in
Mugu was closed for the Beijing
Olympics affecting 991 families
of Dolkhu, Magri, Thigri, Mugu
and Pul VDCs. All the families
affected from starvation are
nationalities.
Their jethbali (summer crop) was
also damaged from heavy
hailstones in Khalwang region
and 329 of Hayanglu and 310
families of Khamale VDC forcing
them to leave for India.
(Posted on 7th September)

Temporary health centre in
affected areas
The meeting of Central
Management and Monitoring
Committee, held on 6th September
in the presence of Prime
Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal,
decided to establish temporary
health service center rooming
certain number of beds for
people affected by flood in
Sunsari and Saptari districts.
The government has already
allocated around Rs 127 millions
to run health services inside
these camps.
In another development, the
government has decided to
dispatch a team of medical
experts to the government run
camps in Sunsari and Saptari
after there were reports of more
and more people failing sick due
to unhygienic living condition
in the camps. The government has
already allocated around Rs 127
millions to run health services
inside these camps.
In the meeting, Deputy Prime
Minister and Minister for Home
Affairs, Bamdev Goutam, minister
for Defence Ram Bahadur Thapa,
Minister for Physical Planning
and Works, Bijaya Kumar
Gachchhadar, Chief Secretary of
Government of Nepal, Dr. Bhojraj
Ghimire and Secretary at
Ministry of General
Administration Dr. Govinda
Prasad Kusum were present.
The meeting decided to engage
Nepal Army and private sector to
run helicopter service for
people from Inruwa to Kanchanpur
with concession price, to direct
Department of Road to begin
extension works of roads from
Dharan to Chatara/ Baraha area
and from Kanchanpur to Phattepur
Beltar within seven days and to
direct Nepal Army to begin
extension works of road from
Chatara/Baraha area to
Suspension Bridge within seven
days.
The meeting also decided to
direct Department of Road to run
ferry that can carry goods
carrier vehicles in Chatara, to
run motorboat from Loukahi to
Bhantabari and to establish
managed camp to displaced people
and to run school for their
children.
(Posted on 7th September)

'Unverified' flood victims go
hungry
Over 4,500 persons displaced by
Koshi flooding in Sunsari had to
go hungry the whole day on 4th
September after aid
organisations providing relief
materials denied any food items
to them saying they were not
'verified'.
Not a single aid organization
came up to provide food
materials for those taking
shelter at Koshi Secondary
School located in Laukahi,
Akraha Primary School located in
Jokraha and Janata Higher
Secondary School in Madhuvan of
flood-hit Sunsari district. This
goes against Red Cross' pledge
that aid organizations would not
discriminate against anybody
affected by the floods and would
provide food to all of them.
Chief District Officer Durga
Prasad Bhandari said Natural
Disaster Rescue Committee would
arrange for food for all the
flood victims until they are all
verified.
Meanwhile, during 5th
September's session of the
Legislature Parliament,
lawmakers from various political
parties raised serious concern
over the plight of the flood
victims in Sunsari district and
accused both the governments of
Nepal and India for gross
negligence which invited the
Koshi catastrophe.
The lawmakers also urged Prime
Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal to
press for nullifying all
'unequal' treaties and
agreements reached with India
during his first "political
visit" to the country next week.
(Posted on 7th September)

Swollen rivers put Jhapa
villages in peril
Swollen Kankai and Kamal rivers
have put two villages in Jhapa
district in peril. The two
rivers have swept away the
Dudhe-Mahabhara-Kunjibari road
in Bhansar, Giddhigaun and
Rangiyathan, putting Mahabhara
and Korobari VDCs at the risk of
inundation.
"Hundreds of people will be
displaced if the swollen rivers
gush into the VDCs," said Bijay
Agrawal, a former chairman of
Mahabhara VDC. "The flooded
Kankai has displaced 25 families
from Mahabhara VDC and rendered
some 300 bighas of land
uncultivable." The rivers have
caused erosion in Kunjibari,
Dhunganabasti, Devighada,
Jantachauri and Jaliyabasti of
Mahabhara. The flooded rivers
have put the Jana Kalyan
Secondary School, which lies on
the border of ward nos. 3 and 4
of the VDC, in peril, Agrawal
further said. Kankai is also
causing erosion in ward nos. 6
and 8 of Shivgunj VDC. It has
begun washing away the road
linking Mahabhara with
Panchgachhi VDCs.
A committee has been formed
under the chairmanship of
Balaram Thapaliya, a social
worker, to take measures to
control erosion along the
Dudhe-Mahabhara-Kunjibari road.
Meanwhile, local residents of
Lakhanpur VDC have urged the
Jhapa District Administration
Office to provide relief to
people whose land has been
washed away by the Ratuwa River.
A team led by CA member from
Jhapa-7 Bishwodip Lingden met
Jhapa CDO Shankar Prasad Koirala
yesterday. It urged the CDO to
take measures to tame Ratuwa.
Ratuwa has affected people of
Damak municipality and Lakhanpur
VDC the most.
(Posted on 7th September)
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