Heavy rain lashes Lumbini Province

By Lumbini Bureau,Butwal, July 26: Floods and landslides triggered by continuous rains in different districts of Lumbini Province have caused damages to many houses causing the loss of millions worth of properties.

Some houses in the province have been submerged following heavy rains and some people trapped in the middle of the river have been rescued. Similarly, landslides have caused damages to the physical infrastructures and led to obstruction of vehicular movement in some places. 

A vehicle has also been washed away by the flood that came in the river following the torrential rains.

According to our Butwal correspondent, two locals stuck in between Tinau River, who had gone to collect firewood and fishing, have been rescued with the help of Butwal Municipal Police, Armed Police Force, and locals on Tuesday morning. The team has rescued Min Bahadur Gaha of Butwal, who went to collect firewood in Tinau River and Janak Gharti of Butwal-14, Kailashnagar, who went to fishing in Danaw River. Although the local administration and Butwal Sub-Metropolitan City have restricted the locals to go to these rivers when the water level increased in the rivers, the locals risking themselves go to the rivers to collect firewood which come along with the flooding water and some to do fishing.

Mayor Khel Raj Pandey of the Sub-Metropolis said that necessary precautionary measures have been adopted along the river side to control untoward incidents. On Tuesday morning, these two rivers have crossed the danger level and alerts have been issued.

In Rupandehi, a building of Sata Chintan Academy and private house of Sankhamuni Tharu of Sainamaina-8, Ramapur have been submerged following flood in a local Inguriya River. The family members of Tharu and people remaining at the Academy have been shifted to safe place following the incident under the leadership of the ward chairman Buddhi Ram Chaudhary of Ward Number 8 and security team.

Likewise, landslide hit a semi-circle design (Hoop) of Siddha Baba Tunnel project at under construction Butwal-Palpa road section. The tunnel construction work has been going round the clock in the project, according to engineer Yudhisthir Panthi.

According to our Ghorahi correspondent, torrential rains have submerged one dozen houses in Dang. Nearly 17 houses have faced inundation in Rajapur and Lamahi Municipality of Deukhuri region of the district, according to DSP Raj Kumar Gautam. Similarly, torrential rains have obstructed road connectivity along Gadhawa-Bela-Kalakote road section, according to the District Police Office.

Armed Police Force has rescued 12 persons trapped after two houses were inundated following the flood in Kaudiya River at Lamahi Municipality-1, Kaudiya and Kantipur of Ward No. 2.

Likewise, a Scorpio van (Ba 11 Cha 1511) has been swept away by flood came in Jali River in Tulshipur Sub-Metropolitan City-14 while the van was coming towards Ghorahi from Tulshipur. No human casualty is reported so far in the incident, said DSP Gautam. Also, Takshar Basic School in Bhume Rural Municipality-3 of Rukum East has been at risk of landslide. 

Bagmati's CM instructs for disaster preparedness 

Chief Minister of Bagmati Province Shalikram Jamkattel has instructed the concerned officials including 

Ministry for Internal Affairs and Law to begin preparation for disaster preparedness. The Ministry is also given instruction to identify possible areas and regions vulnerable to disaster.

Also, landslides near Jibisa Khoriya tole have damaged three houses in Siddhicharan Municipality-12 near the district headquarters of Okhaldhunga. Two persons have been injured 

in the incident.