BIRGUNJ, AUGUST 26

Floods in Saptakoshi, Khando, Jita, Triyuga, Balan, and Mahuli rivers caused by continuous rainfall for the past two days have inundated and eroded various areas in many municipalities and rural municipalities in Saptari district.

The flooding has had the most significant impact on Hanuman Nagar Kankalini Municipality and Balan Bihul Rural Municipality. Mayor of Hanuman Nagar Kankalini Municipality Birendra Majhi informed that around 300 families had been left in the lurch in wards 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 11 and 13 due to flooding in the Sapta Koshi River.

People from the impoverished community residing near the banks of the rivers shared that they had been enduring hardships due to flooding for years. They revealed that floodwaters rise up to two feet in their houses.

Balan Bihul Rural Municipality Chairperson Khem Chandra Yadav said flood had inundated around 100 houses at wards 1, 2, 3 and 4. 'Since embankment on the Balan River is not repaired, it gets breached every year during the monsoon,' said Yadav.

A government team comprising Chief District Officer Kiran Thapa, Deputy Superintendent of Police Narendra Karki, Armed Police Force Deputy Superintendent Tirtharaj Poudel and Chief of Irrigation and Development Division Raman Kumar Shah, among others, reached the flood-affected areas of Hanuman Nagar and Balan Bihul today to assess the situation.

Floodwater has gushed into the houses due to the incessant rainfall at Rajbiraj, the district headquarters of Saptari, as well.

Due to lack of proper drainage, floodwater from drains has entered the homes in around two dozen houses in Pulchowk of Rajbiraj Municipality-7.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 27, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.