Home Ministry forms central command post to intensify rescue operation; NEA to mobilize monitoring team to study flood damages

Kathmandu / Aug. 13: An emergency meeting headed by Minister for Home Affairs Janardan Sharma today formed a central command post for intensifying rescue operations in the country.

The command post was formed to intensify the rescue works as the country has been hit by floods and landslides since the past few days.

The meeting also decided to urge the Indian side to open more doors of Laxmanpur barrage and Koshi barrage so as to minimise damage on the Nepali side.

As many as 8,300 security personnel from Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepal Army have already been mobilised in the rescue operation across the country.

As per the data by the Home Ministry, 11 districts were badly affected by the floods.

The worse hit districts are Panchthar, Sindhuli, Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Sarlahi, Bara, Dang, Banke, Makawanpur and Palpa. At least 49 people were killed while 17 more went missing in the landslides and floods so far.

Following the rescue operation, over 200 people from Narainapur, Holiya, Phattepur, Tikulipur, Bairiya Sikta among other places of Banke district were rescued to safer zones.

Similarly, rescue works were ongoing at Madargachhi, Kapan, Kawas, Salpara, Saurghutu of Jhapa and Budhikhola of Sunsari, Hanumannagar and Tilathi of Saptari, Bagmati area of Sarlahi and Rautahat by using the rafting boats.

The District Natural Disaster Rescue Committee has distributed dry foods to victims in the flood-hit areas.

Efforts were also on to pack food items to be distributed to those affected by flooding and landslides, while helipads at Nepal Army’s barracks have been kept ready for relief distribution.

Likewise, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport Management has intensified clearance and repair of obstructed roads across the country so as to resume transport to help ease rescue operation and relief distribution.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health has been asked to manage health workers with medicines in flood and landslide affected areas.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism has been asked to operate private helicopters with priority in helping rescue operation.

Similarly, the Home Ministry has appealed to one and all including industrialists, business entrepreneurs, civil society and social workers to help in rescue operation and relief distribution.

NEA to mobilize monitoring team to study flood damages
Meanwhile, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has decided to mobilize a central monitoring team to assess the loss it incurred due to floods and landslides triggered by the heavy rainfall across the country.

Minister for Energy Mahendra Bahadur Sahi informed that a high-level monitoring team was formed to assess the damage the NEA’s infrastructures received due to the disaster.
The meeting of the NEA Board of Directors held at the Ministry today assigned Chetraj Joshi, Umesh Thani, Chandra Tandan, Bhakta Bahadur Pun, and regional and local engineers. The team would be mobilized in the flood-hit areas from Monday.

Regional Office in seven provinces

Meanwhile, the NEA has decided to establish its regional offices in each province across the country. Currently, the NEA has eight regional offices, while Province No 3 alone has three regional offices.

According to Minister Shahi, the upcoming India visit of Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba would hold talks with Indian side about the inundation in the southern plains caused by the embankments constructed by India on Nepal-India border

He further said, “Discussion was held in the diplomatic level about the inundation in Nepal, and the additional sluice gates were opened in the Koshi barrage.” RSS