KAILALI, JULY 3

Bhajani and Joshipur of Kailali have been inundated after floodwaters gushed into the settlements.

According to eyewitnesses, many houses in Wards 2, 3, 6 and 8 of Bhajani Municipality have been inundated.

Local Ganga Chaudhary said floodwaters from local Kandra and Kadha rivers entered the settlement, spreading panic among the residents. Six families of Bhajani have already been displaced and they are taking shelter in their relatives’ houses. Bhajani-Joshipur-Bauniya road section has also been submerged by the floodwaters.

Water has accumulated up to 1.5 meters along the roadside. Due to this, people’s movement has been impeded. Paddy planted in hundreds of bighas of land in Mohanpur of Bhajani-2 has been damaged. Paddy fields of 65 farmers have been covered by sand. At Rajipur of Joshipur, 25 houses have been inundated. Local Sher Bahadur Saud said they did not have time to save their foodstuffs and household goods.

Condition of the freed Kamaiyas (former bonded workers) is more pathetic in the aftermath of the incident. According to Bhajani Ward No 1 Chair Bidhiram Chaudhary, the problem is longstanding as it occurs every year.

Locals in Bhajani and Joshipur have been facing the problem of inundation and soil erosion for years during the monsoon.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 4, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.