Rains, Floods Wreak Havoc in Tarai Districts

THT Online Siraha, July 25

Floods triggered by incessant rains have wrecked havoc in several districts in the Tarai. Normal life has been thrown out of gear in districts including Siraha, Rautahat and Parsa.
Floodwaters, as high as two feet, have swamped houses, plantations, roads, markets, government offices and schools in the district headquarters of Siraha.
Patients in the Siraha district hospital are also having to bear the brunt of the floodwaters, the hospital chief, Dr Raj Kumar Chaudhari said.
Over a dozen huts belonging to the Dalit community at Mahisothatole of Siraha-8, collapsed due to heavy rains. Rains have also destroyed dozens of houses at Baderwatole and Basbittatole of Siraha-6, locals said.
Floodwaters from the Khutti river have inundated most of the settlements in Ward no-5 and 6 of Lahan, the Lahan Area Police Office said.
Price of food items has shot up and the business is running low, chairperson of the Trade Union, Ratanlal Agrawal, said.
Floods in the Sahaja, Gagan and Maunawati rivers have inundated Laxminiya, Sanhaitha, Aurahi, Intatar, Hakpada, Chhotakitole, Khiraunar and Patherwa villages.
Similarly, waters from the flooded Kamala river inundated a dozen villages, including Phulbariya, Chikana, Bhediya, Manpurtole, Kalyanpur, Bhokraha and Sikron.
A report from Rautahat said heavy rainfall for the past nine days has damaged a dozen houses and flooded hundreds of bighas of land in the district.
Waters from the flooded Jhanjh river inundated Mithuwa, Mahamadpur, Jayanagar, Jethrahiya, Rajpur, Tulsio and Suratha VDCs and damaged the paddy crop in hundreds of bighas of land.
Heavy rainfall and storm damaged seven houses in Saruatha VDC and the displaced families are taking shelter in a primary school, a local Bhusan Singh said.
The rains disrupted vehicular movement on the Sivanagar-Katariya, Gaurda-Samanpur and Matsari-Gaur roads, a local of Badharwa Hari Singh said.
Relief materials have been sent to the victims, president of the Rautahat chapter of Nepal Red Cross Society, Mohamad Majarulhak, said.
A total of 74 houses including 10 in Dharampur VDC-4 and Rajpur Pharhadawa VDC, one in Madhopur VDC, five in Ajargaiwi VDC, five in Inarwa VDC, one in Patharabudhara VDC, nine in Inarwari VDC, nine in Narkatiya VDC, six in Gaur municipality and one in Tikuliya VDC collapsed in the floods and the rains, the Rautahat district police office said.
The administration is preparing to send relief to the victims, Rautahat CDO Durga Prasad Bhandari said.
In Birgunj, flood victims have not received relief as yet. The Parsa District Police Office and Parsa chapter of the Nepal Red Cross Society are distributing relief materials in the city, Pokhariya and Sibarwa VDCs only, while rural folks are yet to get relief, Ganesh Prasad Jaiswal of Viswa VDC said.
Flood in the Oriya and Sikta rivers have inundated Viswa, Jayamangalpur, Mirjapur, Samvauta, Laxmipur, Dhobiyatola, Phajatawa, Kheshraha villages in Parsa district.