Rains hindering rescue of flood-hit: Sitaula

Kathmandu, July 28:

Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula today said that the government is facing hindrances and difficulties in the relief and rescue operation of flood victims due to rainfall in the Tarai.

“We have plenty of relief and assistance materials. But we have not even be able to reach the flooded areas due to bad weather,” Sitaula told the Parliament today.

The helicopters, which were dispatched on Friday with relief materials, are stuck in Nepalgunj and Kathmandu airports because of bad weather, he said. The chopper, which was sent to Janakpur, had to land in Chitwan and had to fly to Kathmandu after it could not land in Janakpur. “The helicopter will take off as soon as the weather improves,” Sitaula said today.

The government has also sought support of the Nepal Association of Rafting Agents to help rescue the flood victims. Rafters are on standby in Kathmandu with rafting boats, but the incessant rainfall is hindering the flight. Sitaula informed that the government has contacted donor agencies for relief materials. “We have acquired lots of materials,” he added. Earlier today, a majority of MPs today asked the government to hold dialogue with the Indian side regarding the barrages and dams built in the Indian side, near the border. MP Janardhan Sharma asked the government to clarify when it would initiate efforts to resolve the problem of inundation in the Tarai by “dismantling” dams built across the border.