Kathmandu, June 18

The government plans to relocate a total of 45,124 households at high risk of flood from the Chure range.

According to a recently drafted Chure Conservation Master Plan, President Chure Tarai Madhes Development Board has set the target of relocating risky settlements within 20 years.

Of the total 45,124 households, 18,334 would be relocated within five years, 36,000 households by 10 years and all households in the range by 20 years. The 20-year master plan was submitted to the board by a team of experts.

“The master plan has designated several settlements in the Chure range as risky. Relocating the settlements would save lives and help conserve biodiversity,” member secretary of the committee Annapurna Nanda Das told The Himalayan Times.

According to board, the master plan would be forwarded to the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation, which would table it in the Cabinet.

Dr Das informed that the master plan was prepared at the cost of Rs 15 million in a year.

Currently, there are 769,000 households and at least 3.5 million people living in the Chure range. As per the master plan, 34.12 per cent land in the Chure range is highly vulnerable to soil erosion and flood related disasters.

Altogether 164 river systems pass through the Chure range.

Although the President Chure Conservation Program has focused its conservation programmes on just five river systems currently, the master plan aims to cover all 164 river systems within the next

20 years.