BAITADI, NOVEMBER 13

The unseasonal torrential rain from October 17 to 20 this year incurred huge loss of lives and properties in Baitadi district.

Four people died and properties worth millions of rupees were damaged.

Delay in compensation distribution has further worried farmers here whose crops were damaged in the disaster.

Since the details of the damages have not been collected yet, the compensation distribution process has not been taken forward.

Among the 10 local levels in the district, details have been collected from six local levels only. Details were yet to be collected from Dilashaili rural municipality, Pancheshwor rural municipality, Melauli municipality and Purchaudi municipality.

It's been a month since Chief District Officer (CDO) of Baitadi district, Rajendra Dev Pandey left the district. The administration here is being run by the officiating CDO.

The administration team could not reach out to the disaster-hit local levels promptly.

Officiating CDO Khagendra Bharati said, "We have collected details of damages from six local levels. More details are being collected in coordination with the police."

The details collected so far show 30 houses were completely damaged and 45 suffered partial damages. Also, three suspension bridges, two schools, 24 irrigation projects and 15 roads were damaged.

The cash crops ready to be harvested were damaged in the rain. The government has already announced compensation to the farmers whose crops were damaged by unseasonal rain. But the peasants here are more worried about possibility of famine than delayed compensation.

A version of this article appears in the print on November 14, 2021, of The Himalayan Times.