Tuesday, August 29, 2006

21 more die in floods, landslides

At least 21 people are confirmed dead in the spate of flooding and landslides in various districts in the past two days. While scores are still missing, over 10,000 have been displaced in Bardiya district alone.
Eight bodies each were recovered in Achham and Doti, two each in Bardiya and Baitadi and one in Banke district.
In Achham, five members of a family were buried in a landslide in Balyalta village, Khaptad VDC. Bude Bhul, 45, Company Bhul, 40, Krishna Bhul, 40, and a woman and girl child (unidentified) of the same family were buried under rubble.
Likewise, Prem Rawal, 70, and an unidentified elderly woman were buried alive in Devisthan VDC-5.
Also, Kale Bhul, 19, of Bhageshwor VDC in the same district, was swept away by a flooded river.
Five houses were swept away and over 100 houses have been completely damaged in Balyalta village which has been scarred by over 50 landslides, locals said. Around 300 head of cattle were also swept away by the landslide.
Security sources at Dhangadhi said that a rescue team comprising security personnel and Red Cross officials reached the village in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, a 27-member team headed by Home Minister Krishna Sitaula reached landslide-hit Balyalta village by helicopter and returned to Nepalgunj after inspecting the affected areas.
In Banke, rescue workers recovered the unidentified body of a man at Khatkan Puruwa area in Kamdi VDC, Monday. According to the local administration, 11 persons are still missing in Pudanbhetwa VDC. Army and police have started a full-scale rescue operation in flood-affected areas of the district.
According to the authorities, 300 people from flood-hit villages have been moved to safer places and given relief supplies. However, the scale of damage at villages across the swollen Rapti River could not be ascertained.
In Baitadi, Janaki Chand, 9, of Chokham VDC-4 was swept away by the Gansur rivulet while Ram Singh Saud of Malladehi-4 was buried and died in a landslide in the village Monday.
The local administration fears that the scale of damage in the area could be much worse. A team from the district Red Cross was sent to take stock of the situation.
In Bardiya, two were recovered from local Saryu River while an unidentified body was found on the bank of the Babai River, Monday. Over a dozen are still missing, according to Tirtha Bhattarai, administrative officer at
the District Administration Office.
Over 10,000 people have been displaced in the district. Among them, around 3,000 have been evacuated and accomodated in school buildings, at campuses and at government establishments in Gulariya, the district headquarters.
Over 300,000 people of 11 VDCs in the Rajapur Tappu area in the district have also been affected by flooding.
Meanwhile, Bimala Poudel of Sandhikharka-7 in Arghakhanchi district died and two others were injured after a house collapsed following incessant rainfall in Divarna VDC, Monday morning.
Similarly, Thulimaya Gurung, 60, of Manahari VDC-8 in Makawanpur district was swept away by a stream near her house Sunday morning.
In Nawalparasi, over three dozen families have been displaced while around 150 houses in Rampur and Khadauna VDCs are on the verge of collapse due to flooding.
Over 3,200 bigha of standing paddy in the district has been inundated.
Chief District Officer Madhav Prasad Regmi said that Bhujahawa, Somani, Pratappur, Kudiya and other VDCs were also badly affected by the floods.
Our report from Darchula said that 35 families of Katai VDC have been taking refuge in neighboring villages following landslides in the area.
"We chose to flee leaving behind goods and cattle as it [landslide] is still continuing," said Bhojraj Joshi, a local.
Locals at district headquarters are reeling under darkness as a hydro-power project on the bank of the Lasku Khola was damaged by landslide, Saturday.
In Kailali, six houses were demolished while 26 others were inundated due to flooding in the Chuha area. The flood also destroyed paddy on over 500 bigha of land.
Twenty families at Dhaungana Tole of Narayanpur were evacuated while over 300 families at Pratappur, Thapapur, Joshipur and Dhansinghpur have also been affected.

No comments: