Bardiya flood victims receive assistance

By Our Correspondent , Nepalgunj, Sept. 19: Flood victims in four local governments of Bardiya district have started receiving relief goods and health hygiene kits. They were affected by the floods that hit the district on August 12 and 14. 

Mina Parajuli, regional manager of the Plan International Nepal, said that the work of providing various relief materials in the four municipalities under the short-term emergency flood response project with the help of the UK Aid Star Fund was in full swing.  

She said that under the project conducted in partnership with Banke UNESCO Club, the work of distributing relief to the flood-affected people of Gulariya, Thakurbaba, Bansgadhi and Barbardia municipalities was in progress. 

Meanwhile, under the cash-for-work programme, the flood victims in all four municipalities are provided with financial support by engaging them in various works, mostly in preventing floods and inundation.

According to the Plan International Nepal, they are providing Rs. 600 per day for the works related to the prevention of floods and inundation. The locals are mobilised for the construction of roads with drains, embankments, irrigation canals, as well as clean-up works. 

The cash-for-the-work programme is currently being implemented in Kalabanjar Namuna settlement of Gulariya -10, Kunithi and Shantinagar of Basgadhi 8 and 9, Siunia, Sonpur, Gulra, Baidi and Jagtia of Barbardiya and Ambasa of Thakurbaba. 

In all those places, about 300 flood-affected people have been employed and given wages in cash.

According to the office, under the project, 200 affected families of all four municipalities have received food worth Rs. 15,000 per family, while 150 families got nutritious food worth Rs. 4,000 per family and 80 families each of four local levels hygiene and dignity kits. 

Similarly, 120 toilets that were destroyed by the flood have been rebuilt and repaired, 120 water hand pumps have also been repaired and some new ones have been installed.

Laxman Mallah, one of the victims of Gulariya’s Kalabanjar, said that he got cash by building a road in his own village.  He added that through the support, he has found not only employment, but his village has got a boost from development activities.