By Our Correspondent
Kawasoti, June 18: Floods brought on by more than four days of heavy rains have wreaked havoc in Nawalpur, causing damages of more than Rs. 100 million, according to the District Disaster Management Committee (DDMC).
Floods in the Kaligandaki River have damaged the bridge connecting Nawalpur’s Baudikali Rural Municipality with Tanahun’s Ghiring Rural Municipality and have swept away a concrete bridge between wards 1 and 2 of Baudikali Rural Municipality, informed Baudikali’s chairman Durga Bahadur Rana Magar.
Many hilly rivers have broken their banks, putting five bridges and several schools and roads at risk, shared Prem Bahadur Thapa Magar, chairman of Ward No. 2 of Bulingtar Rural Municipality.
The flooded Narayani River has inundated 50 houses in Gaindakot Municipality Ward No. 2 and has washed away 15 Bighas of land in Ward No. 5. As per the DDMC, the river has submerged 80 houses in Madhyabindu and Devchuli municipalities and has washed away more than 100 Bighas of land there. The administration has moved the people to safer places.
Meanwhile, Superintendent of Police Prakash Malla informed that traffic on the Kharkhare section of the East-West Highway in Gaindakot Municipality was blocked for more than 10 hours on Thursday because of an overflowing culvert. Meanwhile, traffic is only partially open in Daunne where the roads have been blocked by landslides, he said.
Similarly, the rural roads of Daldale-Dhaubadi, Bulingtar and Gaindakot-Bulingtar-Kaligandaki corridors have been completely closed since Tuesday due to landslides.
Maina BK, vice-chair of Bulingtar Rural Municipality told The Rising Nepal that the closure of roads has completely cut off the hilly Bulingtar and Baudikali rural municipality from the outside world. “It will take up to 10 days to rebuild the roads after the rains stop,” stated Baudikali Chairman Rana Magar. Bulingtar Ward No. 4 Chairman Chet Bahadur Godami Magar stressed that the repair works could not begin until the rain stopped.
Likewise, landslides have hit more than three dozen places on the Gaindakot-Kaligandaki Highway.
“The road blockages will only exacerbate the suffering of the people of the district,” said Rabindra Shrestha, a local teacher in Kotthar.
Meanwhile, in Pyuthan, flood in the Jhimruk River has destroyed an under-construction motorable bridge.
The bridge which was being constructed to join Ward No. 1 of Airawati Rural Municipality with Ward No. 7 of Shitganga Municipality was destroyed.
“The support underpinning the bridge was washed away, causing the destruction. The slab constructed four days ago over the 35-metre section got damaged,” said Er. Arun KC, Pyuthan Road Division Office.
The provincial government had provided a budget of Rs. 71 million for the construction of the 70-meter long bridge. The construction, which started three years ago, was nearing its completion and was expected to come online in three months.
The locals had hoped that upon completion, the bridge would significantly help ease their travel, but the destruction has shattered that hope.