Bardiya, September 4 :

Thousands of flood victims of Bardiya will be compelled to go hungry if food items do not arrive here by tomorrow, Govinda Poudel, section officer of the Bardiya Red Cross, said, requesting international aid agencies for more support.

Out of 7,000 flood-affected households of Bardiya, only 1,183 households have received relief materials, the Nepal Red Cross Society, Bardiya, said, adding that there was only sufficient relief materials for 164 more households. The remaining materials will be distributed today, said Poudel. Most of the flood-hit people have not yet received any relief material.

An official at the epidemics department of the District Public Health Office, Ram Bahadur Chand, said a child died of cold while over 2,000 people have been hit. “Plan Nepal and Save the Children US have conducted health camps at Phattepur, Gangapur and Holiya,” he said.

A report from Nepalgunj said a Red Cross team yesterday provided 15 kg of beaten rice to flood-hit Prem Bahadur Budha of Manikapur-8. The Rural Reconstruction Nepal also provided some relief materials. “We are receiving food from different sectors, but none has provided us shelter,” Budha said.

“Of the flood-hit 17 families of Gayatri Tole, only four households have received relief materials for shelter,” said Bhim Bahadur Pun, chairman of the tole development committee. All organisations are concentrating on the problems of people of Gulariya and surrounding areas, but none is caring to help people here, Pun said.

Meanwhile, the Natural Resources committee of the HoR accused the government of not being serious about the problems of the flood-hit people of Banke and Bardiya.

Speaking at a press meet held after visiting the flood-hit areas, committee chairman Prakash Jwala said: “Most of the people in the two districts have been badly affected. Ten days have passed, but the victims have not got relief materials.” “Our primary aim is to pressurise the government to provide relief materials,” he said. Meanwhile, the government has appealed to all to cooperate in rescue and relief of victims of natural disasters, RSS said.