Bara/Rautahat, August 13

Hundreds of households have been adversely affected by floods due to incessant rainfall since Friday evening in Bara and Rautahat districts.

According to Bara District Police Office, more than 1,000 households have been badly affected due to floods. More than 400 persons from 60 displaced families have been taking shelter at a madrassa in Jitpursimara Sub-metropolitan City-23 of the district. As many as 125 persons from 22 displaced households have been taking shelter in Nepal Rastriya Primary School, 200 persons from 40 families in Bhabara-based Nepal Rastriya Secondary School, 60 persons from 15 families of Parsauni Rural Municipality in the ward office and more than 200 persons from 40 displaced families of Mahagadhimai Municipality in Babuaain Secondary School. As many as 125 persons of 13 displaced households of Simratelgachhiya have been taking shelter at their kin’s places.

Similarly, hundreds of people have vacated their houses fearing floods and moved to safer places, according to security personnel.

Bara Chief District Officer Bijaya Narayan Manandhar said discussions were under way with the District Natural Disaster Rescue Committee on relief distribution and relocation of the displaced. According to him, rescue teams were headed to Kelhawi, Bhodaha, Manaharwa, Simraungadh, Jeetpur, Simara and Nijgadh. He, however, said they were yet to confirm the total damage caused by floods and landslides in the district.

Bara District Education Office has, meanwhile, decided to shut all schools of the flood affected areas until August 16. According to District Education Officer Dhan Prasad Pokharel, hundreds of schools have been inundated in the district.

In Rautahat, hundreds of houses in Gaur, Garuda and Chandrapur municipalities have been inundated, as the swollen Jhajh, Bagmati, Lalbakaiya and Chandi rivers continue to wreak havoc. Roads in some parts of the district were under four feet high water, while District Police Office, District Armed Police Office and other police units have been inundated.

The swollen Bagmati River has eroded cultivated fields at Matsari, Belbichhawa, Pipra Rajbada, Badaharawa and adjoining areas. Hundreds of houses on the banks of Belbichhawa dam face high risk of flood, as the dam may burst any time.

Human settlements at Banjaraha, Inarwa, Laxminiya, Maryadapur, Katahariya, Basantapatti and Tejapakad face high risk of flood due to the swollen Lalbakaiya River.

Settlements at Fatuwamaheshpur, Rajpur, Jingadawa, Malahi Tole and Pothiyahi have been inundated. Settlements in Garuda, Chandranigahapur and Santapur Maidhakatani have been inundated due to incessant rainfall for the past three days.