Jumla’s Sinja suffers most from late monsoon rainfall

By Netra Shahi

Sinja, Oct. 30: The Sinja area suffered the most from the incessant rainfall from October 5 to 10.  According to Narendra Chand, Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Jumla, 1,952 people have been displaced  from the rain-induced disasters in Jumla. Out of them, 725 people are from Sinja Rural Municipality and 298 from Kanakasundari Rural Municipality.

The largest number of houses were damaged  in Hima Rural Municipality of Sinja region. As per the latest data from the rural municipality, 386 houses were  completely damaged there. 

According to Laxman Bahadur Shahi, chairman of the rural municipality, more than 1,000 people of the 386 households are displaced in Hima.

Some of the victims are living in tents while others are staying at the homes of their relatives and neighbours, said Shahi. 

According to the latest data of Hima Rural Municipality, 519 houses were partially damaged and 613 houses were slightly damaged. 

Likewise the District Police Office informed that 157 households were displaced in Sinja and 46 households in Kanakasundari. 

Altogether 589 houses have been completely damaged in Hima, Sinja and Kanakasundari rural municipalities of Sinja, according to the data of police.  

Chairman of Sinja Rural Municipality Purna Prasad Dhital informed that the flood entered the hall of the rural municipality as well.

Similarly, eight people from the same ward including five members of the same family died due to the floods and landslides on October 8 and 9. 

Similarly, a mother and her son were swept away by the flood on October 8 while they were going to take shelter in a safe place in Jogiwada of Hima Rural Municipality 3. Local Satyadevi Yogi was found dead while her son is still missing.

Many houses, including 236 households in Sinja, 67 in Kankasundari and 22 in Hima are at high risk of landslides.

The landslides have also caused damages to the Nagam-Gamagadhi road at 150 places, and it took 15 days to open the road. About 100 wooden bridges have been washed away in the area.

The farmers have faced a big problem after the fields with standing paddy crops were washed away. Lal Bahadur Shahi, a resident of Badki in Hima Rural Municipality 1, said he was afraid of starvation this time.

A variety of crops including paddy, beans, maize, millet and wheat have been damaged by the heavy rain this time, said Upendra Neupane, a resident of Kanakasundari 5.

The government has declared Jumla, Humla, Kalikot and Mugu as disaster-hit areas after the floods and landslides caused heavy losses. 

Accordingly, a team of the National Disaster Risk Reduction Management Authority has inspected the affected area.