Around 2,000 houses submerged

By Abinash Chaudhary,Dhangadhi, july.1: Continuous rainfall on Monday has submerged nearly 2,000 houses in Kailali district. Houses in various wards of Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City and Godawari Municipality have been affected. 

According to Shivraj Joshi, Information Officer at the District Administration Office, about 150 houses in these areas have been flooded and are not fit to live in.

Some families have been rescued and moved to safer locations. It has been reported that four people from Srilanka area of Ward No. 13 and four people from the Beli area of Ward No. 7 in Dhangadhi were rescued.

The worst affected areas in Dhangadhi are Ward Nos. 1, 2, 3, 4, 7, 8 and 13. Dozers were used to drain the water that had accumulated in several places, Joshi said.

With the rainfall easing since the afternoon, daily life is gradually returning to normal, he added. He also said that the water level in the Mohana River is receding. In the morning, the river crossed the alert level.

It is not new for Dhangadhi, the temporary capital of Sudurpaschim Province, to face flooding. Every year, after heavy rainfall, various parts of the city get waterlogged. Areas like the Province Assembly building premises, main roads, Shivanagar, Dhangadhi village, Basanta Tole, Dakshin Behadi, Bishalnagar, Milan Chowk and others are regularly submerged due to water accumulation.

Surendra Rana, Member of Ward No. 8, said the main reason for Dhangadhi's flooding is the lack of proper drainage, worsened by encroachment on streams and canals.

Streams like Sukati and Ratopul in Dhangadhi have been encroached upon, with physical structures built over them. A few years ago, Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City started a campaign to remove these encroachments, but it has slowed down in recent times.

Earlier, after the 2017 local elections, the first executive meeting of Dhangadhi Sub-Metropolitan City had decided to remove encroachments from public land and water bodies. 

Following that, a sub-committee was formed to investigate the streams and it marked encroached areas along the Sukati stream from Kailali Bridge to Hasanpur Community Police Office.

Rohit Adhikari, Information Officer at the Urban Development and Building Office, said that the recurring floods in Dhangadhi are mainly due to the absence of proper ‘town planning’.

Our Kailali Correspondent reported that it started raining on Sunday afternoon, but the heavy downpour began around 4 am on Monday, Sah said. Although it is still raining, it is expected to ease by tonight. 

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According to Sanjay Kumar Sah, Chief Engineer at the Mahakali Basin Office in Attariya, this is the highest recorded rainfall in Dhangadhi to date.

Sah further informed that Belauri in Kanchanpur district recorded even higher rainfall, with 267.6 mm in 24 hours. In Khallakot of Krishnapur Municipality, also in Kanchanpur, 184 mm of rainfall was recorded. The Attariya area saw 212 mm of rain.

According to the Mahakali Basin Office, moderate to light rainfall is occurring across all nine districts of Sudurpaschim Province, and similar weather is expected to continue throughout the week. The rainfall has increased the water flow in the Dodha River and settlements near the Mohana River in Dhangadhi and surrounding areas are likely to be affected.

Similarly, our Kanchanpur correspondent reported that over two dozen houses in Kanchanpur district have been submerged due to continuous rain since Sunday night. According to the District Police Office, by Monday afternoon, 15 families had been rescued and relocated to safer places.

The flood has affected parts of Krishnapur Municipality, Ward Nos. 5 and 7, where families were rescued and moved to safety. On Sunday afternoon, the family of local resident Aarti BK from Ward No. 5 of Krishnapur Municipality was relocated by police, said Police Spokesperson Deputy Superintendent Sagar Bohara. 

In Bedkot area of Bhimdatta Municipality, five houses were flooded and in Punarbas Municipality, seven houses were affected, according to police. The families were safely relocated. Poor drainage system is said to be the main reason for widespread flooding in the district.

Police further informed that on Sunday afternoon, water entered the mud house of Kalawati Joshi in Triveni Tole, Ward No. 19 of Bhimdatta Municipality. Joshi's family of five was moved to the nearby Siddhanath Basic School. Their five goats, two cows and one buffalo were also taken to safety.

Several locations affected in Kanchanpur

The continuous rainfall has affected areas such as Shantipur, Calcutta, Shivnagar and Khalla Kunda in Belauri. The risk of flooding has increased for houses built in low-lying areas. The water flow in the Mahakali River is currently at 65,490 cusecs, which is below the danger level.

The Kanchanpur District Administration Office issued a notice on Monday, forecasting heavy rainfall until July 1 and urging residents of riverside areas to remain alert.