Floods bring devastation in four Tarai districts

Parts of Bara, Parsa, Mahottari, Rautahat submerged

• Raxaul-Narkatiyagun rail link severed

Mahottari, July 22:

Swollen rivers and rains have caused devastations in various parts of Mahottari, Parsa, Bara and Rautahat districts.

The flooded Ratu River has inundated Mahottari and caused damage to a dam built by the Water-Induced Disaster Control Office.

Floodwater has swirled onto the Jaleshwor-Vittamod road and submerged various wards in the Jaleshwor municipality. Goods worth lakhs of rupees were damaged when floodwater entered two godowns of the customs office.

The flood has forced people to navigate the Jaleshwor-Vittamod road on boats. As only two boats are available, most people are compelled to wade through the road.

Floodwater has entered Sano Dhauli, Thulo Dhauli, Khaira and Saribhari areas of the Jaleshwor municipality.

Locals of Dhauli are sheltering in a school building as their huts were swamped, a local Devendra Chaudhari said. Floodwater has submerged Bela, Genabghanaha and Mahadevpatti villages. Livestock are marooned there.

A report from Bara said swollen rivers have disrupted transportation services between the district headquarters Kalaiya and a dozen VDCs.

A report from Birgunj said rains have flooded various wards of Birgunj sub-metropolis and two dozens VDCs in Parsa district.

Flood in the Sirsiya river and the Gandak canal swamped wards 1, 2, 3, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18 and 19 of the Birgunj sub-metropolis. Incessant rains have caused the collapse of 25 houses at Nagwatole, Inarwatole and the Bhansar area.

A dozen houses were flooded when the newly-constructed bridge in front of the District Administration Office blocked the free flow of water.

Viswa, Jayamangal, Langadi, Sisirya and Janakigtole were swamped by the floods in the Oriya and Sikta rivers. The collapse of the Kathariya dam flooded Katahriya village while flood in the Bhedaha and Kataha rivers swamped Jagannathpur and Bagahi VDCs.

“Relief distribution will be initiated once we receive information about damages caused by the floods,” Parsa CDO Deepak Kumar Joshi said. Indian Railways in Bihar said that the Raxaul-Narkatiyagunj railway service is hampered due to the flood in Nepal. Flood also disrupted the Birgunj-Kalaiya road section.

A report from Rautahat said floods caused by incessant rain for a week in the Lalbakaiya river have submerged a dozen VDCs.

Floods in the river swamped Katahriya, Laukaha, Tejapakad, Banjaraha, Karuniya, Dewahi, Inarwa, Bhosedawa, Karkach Karmaiya, Ranasari, Basantapatti and Maheshpur VDCs. Three houses collapsed due to rains at wards 1and 2 of Ajgaibi VDC. A storm blew away the roof of a primary school and caused a building of the school to collapse.

Rain has disrupted the Gaurda-Samapur road at three places, a Wadarharwa local Nawal Chaudhari said. Flood in the Sanjh river has submerged paddy crops at Mithuawa, Jetharhiya,

Rajpur and Tulsipur villages. Four houses in Okolawa VDC got submerged, Maoist area no 5 in-charge Ram Prabesh Sahani said.

Twenty houses have collapsed due to rain.