Koshi Province to rebuild all flood, landslide damaged houses

By Mahendra Bista,Biratnagar, Oct. 9: The Koshi Provincial Government has announced that it will rebuild all private houses damaged by recent floods and landslides across the province.

The decision was made during a meeting of the Provincial Disaster Management Council held on Wednesday under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki.

According to Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning Ram Bahadur Rana, the reconstruction will be financed through a joint effort involving the provincial government, donor agencies and the private sector. He added that the provincial government will also request additional funding support from the federal government.

Minister Rana said that the government plans to manage reconstruction funds by reallocating the current fiscal year’s budget, cutting down on less urgent projects, and ensuring cost-effective spending. 

The total amount to be allocated will be determined once the full details of the damage are collected.

The province will prioritise rebuilding houses in Ilam, Jhapa and Morang, which were among the hardest-hit districts. The council also decided to collect detailed data on the damage and move reconstruction work forward simultaneously.

Similarly, the meeting resolved to recommend that the federal government declare seven local levels of Ilam district as disaster-affected areas.

For effective coordination of relief and reconstruction efforts in Ilam, the council assigned Minister for Economic Affairs and Planning Ram Bahadur Rana,

 Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development Bhupendra Rai and Minister for Internal Affairs and Law Revati Raman Bhandari. 

The team will visit affected areas, assess the damage, and prepare a detailed reconstruction plan.

In Sunsari district, Minister for Forests, Tourism and Environment Sadananda Mandal and Minister Bhandari will coordinate the recovery work, while in Jhapa, Minister for Water Supply, Irrigation and Energy Ekaraj Karki has been designated to lead reconstruction and coordination activities.

The meeting also recommended that the provincial government cut down on non-essential projects in the current budget to redirect funds for reconstruction. Similarly, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure was instructed to immediately mobilise all its agencies to reopen roads blocked by floods and landslides.

Chief Minister Karki directed all concerned authorities to ensure prompt and effective work in relief and reconstruction without any delay or negligence. 

The council also decided to call on citizens, entrepreneurs, rights activists, political parties, banks, financial institutions and civil servants to extend their support in the ongoing recovery efforts, said Kamal Thapa, Head of the Disaster Management Division at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Law.