The government has declared Ilam a crisis-affected district for three months following severe damage caused by floods and landslides. On 8 October, the Koshi Province government recommended to the federal government that seven local levels in Ilam be designated as crisis-affected areas. Acting on this recommendation, the federal cabinet, in its meeting on 9 October, officially declared the district a crisis-affected area for a period of three months.
Due to natural disasters, seven districts in Koshi Province including Ilam, Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Udayapur, Taplejung, and Panchthar were severely affected by heavy rainfall from 3 October to 6 October. In Ilam, 38 people lost their lives due to these natural disasters. The local government has decided to provide relief to the families of five individuals who lost their lives due to floods and landslides in Suryaudaya Municipality following heavy rainfall from 3 October to 6 October. Mayor Ranbahadur Rai stated that the municipality has decided to immediately provide Rs 200,000 in relief to the families of those who lost their lives due to the floods and landslides. He added that if additional members of the same family have died, the municipality will provide an additional Rs 100,000 per deceased member.
In Suryaudaya Municipality-1, Manebhanjyang, five people lost their lives after being buried by a landslide. The deceased include Manmaya Chhetri,65, and a 10-year-old girl from Manebhanjyang, as well Dip Basnet,45, Bhawani Basnet, 44, and a 12-year-old girl from Dolakha district. Mayor Ranbahadur Rai stated that families displaced by the natural disaster will be immediately relocated to safe areas, and necessary relief materials will be provided without delay.
Heavy rainfall caused damage to lives, property, and physical infrastructure in Jhapa, Morang, Sunsari, Udayapur, Taplejung, Khotang, and Panchthar. Following the natural disaster, the Koshi Province government and local authorities have initiated rescue, relief, and reconstruction efforts. The Koshi Province Disaster Management Council, in its meeting on 8 October, decided to provide houses for those rendered homeless by the natural disaster that occurred from 3 October to 7 October. Minister for Internal Affairs and Law of Koshi Province Government, Rewati Raman Bhandari stated that the government has decided to immediately rebuild houses in Ilam, Jhapa, and Morang, which suffered the most damage from the natural disaster. He added that the council has decided to continue collecting detailed information on all houses destroyed by the disaster and to proceed with reconstruction work accordingly.
The council decided to recommend to the federal government that seven local levels in Ilam district be declared crisis-affected areas. The provincial government has assigned Minister for Finance and Planning Ram Bahadur Rana, Minister for Physical Infrastructure Bhupendra Rai, and Minister Rewati Raman Bhandari to coordinate relief and rehabilitation efforts in Ilam. This team will conduct on-site inspections across the affected areas and accelerate reconstruction work in the field.
In the case of Sunsari district, Minister for Forests, Tourism, and Environment Sadananda Mandal and Minister Rewati Raman Bhandari will coordinate the efforts. For Jhapa district, Minister for Water Supply, Irrigation, and Energy, Ekaraj Karki, has been assigned the responsibility of overseeing necessary reconstruction and all related coordination. The council also decided to recommend to the Koshi Province government to review current budget expenditures and projects, make necessary cuts, and allocate the funds for reconstruction. The council has also directed the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure to deploy all its mechanisms immediately to clear all types of roads. According to the Chief Minister’s Office, Koshi Province Chief Minister Hikmat Kumar Karki instructed in the meeting to leave no gap in carrying out reconstruction and relief efforts.
Manoj Adhikari