Indian team arrives

Ministries told to add teeth to flood rescue, repairs

Kantipur Report

KATHMANDU, Aug 26 - The government has instructed ministries to carry out repairs, rehabilitation and relief distribution effectively in flood-hit areas.A meeting of the Central Disaster Rescue Committee on Monday chaired by acting Prime Minister Dr Babu Ram Bhattarai ...

"The Foreign and Water Resources Ministries shall start work immediately in coordination with an Indian team deployed for repair and maintenance of the damaged embankment and areas at risk," said a statement issued by the Home Ministry after the meeting.

An Indian team led by the Chief Engineer of Bihar State arrived in Biratnagar on Sunday in connection with maintenance work in flood-damaged parts along the Koshi river.

The Indian team left for Koshi-hit areas and started work Monday, according to Khom Raj Dahal, Deputy Director General of the Department of Water Induced Disaster Prevention.

The meeting also decided that the Home Ministry would make security arrangements at the local level for maintenance of the embankment.

"If any victim still needs rescue, use any means to save such victims," said the statement. Likewise, the government has directed that daily update on rescue work, relief distribution and embankment maintenance be made public each day.

Altogether 7,102 families or 40,378 persons have became totally displaced due to inundation, the ministry said.

"So far the death of one Janak Devi in her sixties is confirmed," it said.

Meanwhile, floods in north India after torrential rains caused the Koshi river to burst its banks have stranded over one million people, said Indian media.

The water resource development (WRD) department on Sunday launched repair work on the breach in the afflux bund, the Times of India reported Monday. "The work, started on the recommendations of the Nilendu Sanyal committee, include repair of upstream cut end and downstream cut end points," it said.

"The state government has written a letter to Nepal government seeking permission for aerial survey of the area and movement of men and machinery to carry out repair work," it added. According to the report necessary machinery was also being sent for digging a pilot channel to divert the Koshi toward its earlier course.

"Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said he had appealed to the Indian embassy in Nepal to secure permission for India to send in workers and

equipment to try to mend the breach in the river, the Associated Press reported from Patna Monday.