Floods, landslides batter Koshi bringing normal life to standstill

By Koshi Province Bureau,Biratnagar, Aug. 26: Incessant rains in several districts in Koshi Province of eastern Nepal for the past few days have brought normal life to a standstill. Triggered by the incessant rains, some mountainous districts of the province were affected by landslides while the Tarai districts are facing flood and inundation problems.

Landslides in the mountains have blocked the highways and some roads. Similarly, flood risks have increased in the settlements near the rivers after some big and small rivers including the Saptakoshi swelled. 

Sri-Lanka Island faces erosion  

The flooded Saptakoshi River has started eroding some settlements near Sri Lanka Island. Fearing further erosion from the flooded Saptakoshi,  locals have started felling trees to stop the erosion so that flood could not enter the human settlement at Shivalaya tole, according to district correspondent Baburam Karki of Barahakshetra. Over 70 trees were felled to stop the erosion.

The erosion has continued in the western region of Barahakshetra Municipality 6 and 9, according to a local, Binod Mandal.

Indian side repairing spurs of Koshi River 

According to our Sunsari district correspondent Jaya Krishna Yadav, repair and maintenance works of the spurs of the Koshi River along the eastern embankment have begun after the flood continued hitting the spurs. For the past few days, the water level in the river has been in a fluctuating condition. Sometimes, the water level goes up and at other times it recedes, according to Indian technical officials. 

Madan Bhandari Highway blocked 

According to our Gaighat district correspondent Bhakti Bilash Pokharel, normal life in Udayapur has been affected by the incessant rains for a few days. 

Markets, government works, teaching and learning activities in schools and transportation services have been affected by the regular rains.

Traffic service has been disrupted along the Gaighat Nepaltar section of the Madan Bhandari Highway since Friday morning after landslides buried the road at various places. Earlier, the road was blocked for three days.

Transportation services from eastern Nepal to Kathmandu have been affected and the commuters are instructed to choose alternative routes, according to CDO Janardan Gautam of Udayapur. CDO Gautam said that the water level in the Saptakoshi River was measured at 28,000 cusecs per hour on Friday morning, which was the highest water level of this monsoon.

Landslide blocked Siddicharan Lokmarg

According to our Okhaldhunga correspondent Sher Bahadur Rai, Siddicharan Lokmarg has been blocked due to landslides triggered by heavy rains for a few days. At Bhusune in Manebhanjyang Rural Municipality-4, the road was blocked by a landslide.

Police Inspector Balister Singh of the District Police Office Okhaldhunga said that the landslide that occurred at 6:30 am on Friday blocked the road. After the road was blocked, hundreds of vehicles from Okhaldhunga and Solukhumbu heading towards Kathmandu and Terai districts have been stranded at Milanchowk, Bhusune and Ramailo Danda of Okhaldunga.