Rajbiraj/Rautahat, July 13

Floods triggered by incessant rainfall for the past three days have affected thousands of families in the southern plains of the country. Swollen local streams have breached embankments at various places and inundated more than 500 houses in Saptari district alone.

As many as 300 houses in the villages of Tilathi Koiadi Rural Municipality and Hanumannagar Kankalini Municipality were inundated after floodwaters from Khando River breached the embankment and gushed into human settlements in Saptari.

The swollen Triyuga River breached the embankment at Chandranahar and flooded two dozen houses at Fattepur bazaar of Saptakoshi Municipality.

Floodwaters from Khando and Bhaluwai streams gushed into human settlements and submerged 250 houses at Ward No 6 of Bishnupur Rural Municipality and Wards 5, 15 and 16 of Rajbiraj Municipality.

Work to repair the breached embankment at Tilathi was on even as the rainfall continued, according to Disaster Management Officer of the rural municipality Rajesh Jha.

Floodwaters have disrupted vehicular movement along the Rajbiraj-Kunauli road section from early morning. Saptari Chief District Officer Surendra Poudel said they had deployed all available resources to minimise damage caused by the deluge.

Flood water has left many settlements of Durgabhagawati, Ishnath, Gadhimai, Madhavnarayan and Gaur municipalities inundated in Rautahat district.

More than 100 houses were submerged at district headquarters Gaur after floodwater in Bagmati breached the embankment.

Around 4,000 people were affected.

Security forces were rescuing stranded people with boats. Security personnel failed to carry out rescue operation in all affected places as road networks were disconnected. Hundreds of displaced people are sheltering at their kins’ houses and schools.

Work is under way to collect details of the damage, according to Rautahat CDO Kiran Thapa.

Incidents of floods and inundation have displaced more than 200 households in Bara district.

According to Bara police, 85 families of Jitpur Simara sub-metropolis, 130 of Feta Rural Municipality and 35 families of Bishrampur RM were displaced.

Incessant rainfall has inundated most of the wards in Janakpur, Province 2 headquarters affecting hundreds of families.

Flood swept away an under -construction bridge connecting Bateswor Rural Municipality with Kshireswor Municipality of Dhanusha. Flood damaged the bridge over Bhabsi stream and disrupted vehicular movement along the East-West Highway in Mahottari district.

Flights to and from Janakpur have been halted since yesterday due to excessive rainfall.