MANANG

Gandaki Province government is to provide Rs 200 thousand to each family affected by flood in Manang district. In course of onsite inspection of the flood-hit area on Monday, Chief Minister of Gandaki Province, Krishna Chandra Nepali, shared that Rs 200 thousand would be provided to each family for the construction of houses. He said that the federal government has already started works to resume traffic along Besisahar-Chame road, obstructed due to flood, and vehicles started plying up to Taal village. The federal government has already declared the district as a disaster hit zone. The Chief Minister further said, “Coordination with federal government is underway for the reconstruction of different settlements in the district.” The Gandaki Province government has installed solar panels at all government offices after the disruption of power supply at the district headquarters, Chame, due to flood.

As per the details, 85 houses suffered complete damages during monsoon this year in the district. Chairperson of Naso rural municipality, Chandra Ghale, said that the highest number of houses suffered damages at Naso rural municipality-1. Seventy houses were damaged at Naso alone, he added. On the occasion, Finance Minister Ramji Prasad Baral said the province government was committed to identifying the flood and landslide affected persons and resolving their problems in the long-term and the short-term as well. He added that arrangements were being made for the temporary shelters, food and accommodation of the disaster-affected people in the rural municipality.

The residents living close to the Marsyangdi river are still living in fear as the water level in the river has not subsided. Ward Chair Ghale said the flood and landslide triggered by heavy rain on June 15 caused huge loss in all the nine wards of the rural municipality including in the Marsyangdi and Dudhkhola rivers at Dharapani, Thonche, Danakyu, Tachai, Tilche and Taalgaun. The flood has inundated the settlements and washed away the agriculture land of the locals. It has also swept away the main road, bridges and suspension bridges in the area. The area is cut off from road connectivity and power. Chief Minister Pokharel, Finance Minister Baral, Nepali Congress province assembly member Chinta Bahadur Ghale, CPN (Maoist Centre) leader Kapil Lama, among others participated in the visit. —