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Nearly 10,000 families displaced by floods and landslides; toll reaches 93

The Home Ministry has said the death toll in recent flashfloods and landslides across the country has reached 93 while a total of 9723 families have been displaced.

The ministry Sunday said 33 districts had been hit by floods, affecting 58,000 families. Banke, Bardiya, Rautahat, Dhanusha, Mahottari, Bara, Siraha, Saptari, Sunsari and Morang were worst hit districts.

Though life in the affected areas is gradually returning to normal with the monsoon rains subsiding, relief missions are yet to reach out to some of the hardest hit areas, leaving the victims in serious want of food and shelter.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Krishna Prasad Sitaula today visited Banke and Bardiya districts and inspected the relief operations going on there.

The Home Minister who arrived in Nepalgunj with a team of some eight-party leaders told reporters that the government was intensifying diplomatic efforts to minimise the problem of floods triggered by bordering Indian dams including Laxmanpur dam. He, however, did not clarify as to how much progress has been made from the “diplomatic efforts”.

Separately, Health Minister Giriraj Mani Pokharel visited the two mid-western districts today in the wake of fears of possible outbreak of diseases in flood-hit areas.

In Nepalgunj, he told a news conference that the government had made all necessary arrangements to check outbreak of diseases from taking place. Hundreds of medics are working on the grounds with necessary medical supplies, he claimed. nepalnews.com mk Aug 05 07