Erosion continues, more VDCs in peril

SUNSARI, Aug 31 - Even as technicians' teams of Nepal and India have been engaged in frantic efforts to stop further erosion and repairing the damaged embankment, the Saptakoshi floods eroded nearly 30 feet of spur number 13.60 as of Saturday evening. Worse still, over 20 meters of the western ...

One Ashok Thapa of Koshi Victims Group (KVG), who is also actively involved in the repair works, informed that all their attempts were going in vain. Over 30,000 sandbags which were dropped so far with a view of changing the river course westwards have failed to yield any outcome.

"We're trying our best and are using all available techniques," said J N Singh, division engineer of Indian technicians' team. "When we see the current and flow of river waters, we are doing very risky job.

Informing that they sought additional equipment from India, Singh said that they were zeroing in on 13.60 spur as repairs of it could help them change the river course which would also prevent further erosion and inundation.

The Indian team also called on local administration to evacuate over 5,000 locals taking shelter near Bhantabari embankment saying that their presence is creating problems in the repair works.

While the teams said that they were opting for all measures of temporary solutions, Chief District Officer, Durga Bhandari, said that permanent works for the embankment construction and other works would begin only in the second week of March next year.

"We are not that hopeful as the erosion is continuing unabated and repair works have failed to be paid off so far," said KVG treasurer, Ram Narayan Raut.

Displaced families to get Rs 15,000 each

In order to solace the displaced people, the government has decided to provide 15,000 rupees to each family if the latter chose not to stay in the evacuees' camps.

District Natural Disaster Rescue Committee began collecting names to this regard from Saturday and informed that the relief amount would be disbursed from Sunday. The Committee also said that those unwilling to receive the amount would be transferred to proposed eastern regional prison buildings at Jhumka and to office buildings of Christian Industries at Simariya.

Meanwhile, over 2,000 floods-displaced persons of Devangunj and Kaptangunj demonstrated on Saturday demanding relief materials. They have been taking shelters at local schools and Madarsas after tributary rivers of the Saptakoshi inundated their settlements.

Hospitals crammed, separate camp for nursing mothers

Inaruwa Hospital at the district headquarters have been crammed with many flood victims are suffering from fever, pneumonia and gastroenteritis. Among them are also persons bitten by snakes.

One Orec Nepal, an NGO, has managed separate camps for nursing mothers at Inaruwa. Binod Chaudhary of the organization informed that they would continue such camp for two weeks where paramedics would offer timely service to such women.

With over 30 women giving births in displaced camps, the number of nursing mothers is over 100 in such camps.