KATHMANDU, JULY 25
The government has intensified the temporary housing building programme for the resettlement of disaster survivors.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said Rs 28.65 million was already allocated to the eight districts bearing the brunt of monsoon-related natural disasters this year. It accounts for the temporary rehabilitation of 573 households affected by the disasters.
Similarly, Rs 2.99 million was sent to the respective districts by the federal government as the first instalment of the budget for reconstruction of 4,937 private houses in 22 districts hit by natural disasters last year.
The monsoon arrived in Nepal on June 11 and spread across the country on June 13. During this monsoon, rainfall was expected to be higher than the normal range. The frequency of incidents of natural disasters is relatively higher compared to previous years. The hilly districts are more affected by andslides while the Tarai districts witness flooding every year. The mountainous region is prone to avalanche and snowfall.
Sloping land, sensitive geographical status, haphazard construction of roadways, settlement in vulnerable zones, unsystematic urbanisation, forest fires, unmanaged forest area, haphazard land plotting, encroachment of natural heritages, impact of multiple disasters and lack of awareness have further exacerbated the risk of monsoon-induced disasters.
Rajendra Bhandari of the Department of Mines and Geology said Nepal is home to the world's highest peak to the lowest. So, it is vulnerable to monsoon-induced disasters. The Authority estimates that over 1.8 million people will be affected by monsoon this year. Senior divisional hydrologist Rajendra Sharma said 1.7 million people were likely to be affected by floods and 120,000 people by landslides.
Last year, around 400 people died from monsoon-related disasters and over 1,100 families were affected.
A version of this article appears in the print on July 26 2021, of The Himalayan Times.
