Property worth Rs 50 million swept away

BHARAT KOIRALA

POKHARA: Saturday’s flash flood in the Seti River caused loss of property worth Rs 50 million, according to a report made public today.

The report prepared by the District Natural Disaster Rescue Committee, Kaski, said property worth Rs 49.625 million was lost when the flash flood swept away human settlements, roads, bridges, vehicles and cattle, among other things.

The report states that seven tractors, two trucks, one van and two motorbikes were swept away. Similarly, seven shops and houses in Sardikhola VDC of Kharapani and six houses in Machhapuchhre VDC were washed away. Six houses in Machhapuchhre VDC are in precarious condition.

Three suspension bridges, two-kilometre stretch of road, 25 electricity poles and over 144 ropanis of arable land, mostly with crops, also perished in the flash floods. “The floods have damaged drinking water pipelines. We need around Rs 17 million to ensure regular supply of water,” said Planing officer Nishanraj Gautam of the Kaski District Development Committee.

The floods have put two schools — Annapurna Lower Secondary School near Kharapani and Bal Kalyan Primary School in Hemja — in danger. The schools have been shut for now.

“DNDRC, Red Cross and other organisations are providing relief, and we are focusing much on finding the missing,” said Chief District Officer Chetnath Bhattarai.

A team deployed to collect details of damage caused due to the floods has also made public immediate and long-term steps to be taken. It has suggested that taking care of orphans, resumption of classes in the flood-affected schools and construction/repair of three suspension bridges should be given high priority.

Death toll reaches 28

POKHARA: The Seti flash flood death toll has reached 28. Forty-two others are still missing. A rescue team on Thursday recovered a leg from Yamdi bridge. After the kin identified that the leg belonged to a worker in Kharapani, Kabindra Limbu of Jhapa, the body part was handed over to the kin for performing the finale rites. Twenty-one of the dead have been identified so far. According to Kaski CDO Chetnath Bhattarai, the relief distribution is under way. “On Thursday, we received Rs 2.5 million from the Prime Minister Relief Fund. Fund collection at the local level is also on,” he said. With fat chance of finding the missing people alive, the local administration is mulling over declaring them dead. “We should now focus on distributing relief packages to the kin of the victims,” said Bhattarai.