Rain hits villagers hard

DAMAK: Incessant rain since Saturday night has inundated over 1,100 houses, displacing hundreds of villagers, in several areas of Jhapa district. A total of 350 houses were submerged in Sharnamati, 300 in Ghailadubba, 200 in Dangibari and 300 in Rajgarh VDCs. Several houses in Taghandubba, Mahabhara, Kumarkhod, Kohabara, Panchgachhi, Shivgunj and other adjoining VDCs have also been inundated, locals said.

More than 120 persons of 25 families of Sharnamati-5 and 180 persons of 27 families of Kumarkhod-8 and Tagandubba-9 were transferred to a safe place, Jhapa District Administration Office said.

“Relief materials including foodstuff, clothes and other essentials have been distributed to displaced persons,” CDO Narendra Dahal said. He added that preventive measures had been adopted for damage control and to provide relief to the victims.

Meanwhile, the Biring river has breached dams in Ghailadubba and Dangibari submerging acres of land along the river, locals said. The Ratuwa river also inundated ward no 3 and 5 in Kohabhara VDC displacing 12 families of Kohabhara-2. “The river eroded 50 bighas of land,” Hari Yadav, a local teacher said. The Ratuwa river also submerged Topgachhi, Lakhanpur, Dharampur VDCs and some areas of Damak municipality including the Bhutanese refugee camps.

Locals of Jyamirgadhi VDC said that 50 bighas of land of the VDC had been inundated due to the downpour. The flood also reached some areas of Birtamod bazaar obstructing traffic movement.

Meanwhile, a report from Biratnagar said people of 250 households of Mahadeva -7 were disconnected with other villages of the district as the rise in the level of Ratuwa River had inundated its surrounding villages. The entire village turned into an island after the river started flowing from the western part of the village after changing its course. The villagers have been stranded due to the flood. Locals lamented that they did not have boats to ferry across the river. Local Bharat Lal Rishidev said, “We are spending sleepless nights due to the fear of being submerged.”