By Siraj Khan
Nepalgunj, June 26: Various wards of Rapti Sonari, Duduwa and Narainapur Gaunpalikas that lie along the banks of the Rapti River suffer from floods and inundation every year. That is why this year, Banke’s District Disaster Management Committee (DDMC) completed all preparations for emergency search and rescue and to generate public awareness before the flooding season arrived.
Ram Bahadur Kurumbang, DDMC Chairman and Chief District Officer (CDO), said that the authorities began preparing for this year’s monsoon well in advance by formulating the Monsoon Preparedness Plan 2020 and the Disaster Preparedness and Response Plan.
He informed that, under the two plans, rescue and relief materials had been provided to all the local levels located on either side of the Rapti as well as the base camp of the Armed Police Force (APF) in Gangapur, Narainapur. He added that the APF was also in a ready position.
“Similarly, all the local levels of the area have been told to prepare the needed amount of food and keep it packed and the Red Cross Society’s warehouse in Gangapur has a stock of blankets, tents and utensils enough for 100 people,” he said, adding, “Representatives, security personnel and members of the Red Cross in the possible risk areas have been put on alert.”
Role of the flood warning system
There is a system in place that informs the Flood Measurement Centre located in Kusum, Banke, whenever water in the Rapti River rises above the danger mark, as informed by the District Emergency Operation Centre (DEOC).
According to Gauri Budhathoki, Information Management Officer at the DEOC, it takes four to five hours for the flood recorded at Kusum to reach the settlement areas.
“We sound the sirens in the risky settlements as soon as we detect danger in Kusum, which gives the residents time to collect essential goods and go to a high and safe place,” she said, adding that this had helped reduce the losses caused by the floods.
The sirens are sounded immediately after the water level in the river rises above 5.40 metres.
Rescue team have been kept on standby in the risky areas of Rapti Sonari, Duduwa and Narainapur, DEOC informed.