Panel formed for rehabilitation of landslide victims

KATHMANDU, SEPTEMBER 17

The National Reconstruction Committee has formed a panel led by Chief Executive of National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority Anil Pokhrel to devise an action plan for rehabilitation and relocation of landslide victims.

The panel includes representatives from NRA, Department of Irrigation, Department of Forests and Soil Conservation, Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, the District Coordination Committee of Sindhupalchowk, Government of Bagmati Province and Sindhulalchowk District Administration Office, as members. The panel will conduct geological study of landslide-prone areas of Sindhupalchowk and other districts and come up with an action plan for rehabilitation and relocation of vulnerable settlements and survivors of recent landslides.

According to the NRA, the panel has been served 15 days to prepare and submit an action plan beginning today.

The action plan will identify vulnerable settlements and recommend whether they should be relocated or protected.

If any settlement is to be relocated, the action plan will have to designate safer places for relocation and rehabilitation with a proposed time schedule.

A press release issued by NRA said arrangements of necessary budget and human resources would be made as per the recommendation of the panel.

Sindhupalchowk, one of the most quake-affected districts, was badly hit by recurring landslides this monsoon. At least 13 people were killed and 18 others went missing after the rain-induced landslide struck Ghumthang of Barhabise Municipality.

In August, as many as 39 people died and 135 families were displaced due to the disaster in Lidi of the district.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on September 18, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.