81 families displaced due to flood and landslide in Taplejung

Taplejung, June 19: Three hundred and forty-two people from 81 families have been displaced due to flood and landslide since the start of the monsoon precipitation in Taplejung. 

Chief District Officer Rabindra Prasad Acharya said that five people lost their lives to landslide incidents in a period of a week. According to him, eight houses have been completely damaged while 18 more are at high risk due to landslide. 

CDO Acharya added that 55 houses are at risk of landslide in various places in the district. "Eighty-four cattle have been killed due to the flood and landslide. Four vehicles have been damaged while the four bridges, including two motorable wooden bridges, have been washed away by the flood," he said.

Stating that 70 displaced families have been sheltering at the homes of their relatives and neighbours, he said 11 families are taking shelter at a nearby school. 

The highest numbers of displaced families are from Sirijangha, Sidingwa, Mikwakhola and Phaktanglung rural municipalities. Four members of the same family were killed when their house was swept away by landslide at Phaktanglung-2 while one person from Phidim, Panchthar died at Sirijangha.

Landslides triggered by the incessant rain have damaged the roads as well as the hydroelectricity projects in most of the rural areas. The local governments are making efforts to repair the roads. Most of the rural roads have been obstructed in Sirijangha and Phaktanglung rural municipalities, CDO Acharya said. 

The locals said that the flooding and landslides have caused most damage on cardamom farming. The people in the rural areas are living in fear of rain-induced disasters as it has been raining daily. (RSS)