TIKAPUR: Continuous rainfall over several days has severely impacted various settlements in the Kailali district.
A total of 313 households in Bhajani municipality and 174 in Tikapur municipality have been displaced due to flooding caused by the incessant rain.
These displaced families are now taking shelter in community buildings, schools, relatives’ homes, and even on streets and open places.
Bhajani municipality is the worst hit by the inundation. According to Bishnu Neupane, chief of the disaster management committee, a total of 4,848 families in Bhajani have been affected.
“Managing such a large number of displaced people is very challenging. The municipality has distributed 1,800 bottles of drinking water. The displaced are forced to manage food by bringing whatever remains unwashed from their homes,” Neupane stated.
Most roads in the area are damaged, and 75 percent of arable land in Bhajani is submerged.
As rivers and streams have not yet receded, detailed information on property loss is still being collected, according to Bhajani municipality mayor, Kewal Chaudhari.
“Bhajani is in utter chaos. Not only are people displaced, but livestock and crops are also damaged. Everything in the houses is drenched,” Mayor Chaudhari shared.
Mayor Chaudhari emphasized that the municipality cannot handle this disaster alone and called for immediate assistance from the federal government.
The displaced residents from Bhajani are living in tents on the streets, facing multiple risks such as continued rainfall and mosquito bites, said local Krishna Dhamala.
Similarly, in Tikapur municipality-6, the Mohana River has flooded human settlements, displacing numerous people.
Chief of the disaster management committee, Nirmala Chaudhari, reported that households in Bhagwanpur, Preni, Narayanpur, Milanpur, Bhartapur, Sundarpur, and Baghmara were displaced by the floods.
Ward no. 6 is particularly affected, making it difficult to reach the inundated sites.
Baghmara experienced flooding for the first time due to a narrow channel constructed for an irrigation project in ward no. 4, according to ward chair Lal Bir Chaudhari.
In response, the disaster management committee has sought help from the Rani Jamara Irrigation Project to repair at-risk dams and prevent further flooding.
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