Kailali folk relieved with advance information system

Dhangadi, October 4

Sundari Chaudhary of Chuha telephoned Mina Chaudhary of Pratappur, Sonpur at midnight of August 27, informing her of the swelling Patharaiya River in Kailali.

After they circulated the bad news to the locals, they were immediately evacuated. Though the settlement was inundated, no human casualty was reported nor loss of property.

When Mina received more calls, the river level was crossing the danger zone, but all the locals had already moved to Nabajagaran Lower Secondary School for protection along with their valuables.

The pre-flood information system has been a great boon for all the residents of the district, not only at Sonpur.

Settlements in the upper part inform residents of downstream areas about the risk. This has given them great relief.

“Though the settlements were submerged due to heavy flooding, no valuables and human casualty was reported this year in the district due to the new technology. We get information about the disaster from the people upstream in three levels. When we get the third level of information, we should have reached a safer place,” said Sadik Ali of Rajagaudi of Bauniya VDC of the district.

Rajagaudi is a squatter settlement area. Patharaiya River engulfs the settlement every year. Krishna Chaudhary of the upstream Charela village provides information about the flood to people downstream.

Similarly, Prem Chaudhary of Thakurdwara gives information to Charela and Sundari Chaudhary of upper Chuha gives information to Prem who lives downstream.

Thapapur VDC of Kailali, which is the worst flood-hit area, didn’t incur any property and human loss during this year’s flood, said Moti Ram Chaudhary, a local.

“We moved to a safer place soon after we got information about the swelling river and were saved this year,” said an elated Chaudhary.

The flood pre-information system has contributed a lot to save the lives and valuable properties of folks in Kailai this year. Conscious Society for Social Development Kailali has built a gauge to measure the water level in the major rivers of the district including Kandra, Kanda, Gulara and Patharaiya, among others.

Gauge readers inform people living downstream to be alert when it measures green, to be in ready position to shift when it shows yellow and move to safer places when it indicates red.

The pre-information working committee informs all to be alert. They have also formed a Community Disaster Management Committee to rescue disaster victims. The committee has managed search, rescue and primary treatment besides circulation of pre-information.

“The organisation has also provided training to all the members in the committee,” said Field Officer of the committee Shiva Raj Rana.