KATHMANDU, Sept 2: Prime Minister Balendra Shah has said the government immediately mobilized various mechanisms for search and rescue, treatment and relief following the Bhotekoshi flood in Rasuwa.
Addressing the House of Representatives for the first time on Wednesday, Prime Minister Shah briefed lawmakers on the government’s response to the disaster and the situation so far.
According to Shah, a Nepal Army helicopter was immediately deployed for rescue after information about the flood was received. Private helicopters were also kept on standby, while an emergency meeting of the Nepal Army’s Monsoon Command Post decided to mobilize resources for search and rescue in the affected areas.
A search and rescue and emergency response team was kept on standby at Tribhuvan International Airport, while security personnel from the Nepal Army, Nepal Police and Armed Police Force were mobilized from various districts for search, rescue, treatment and relief operations, Shah said.
A meeting of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council had directed the chiefs of the security agencies to give high priority to search, rescue and treatment in the affected areas. Relevant agencies were also instructed to mobilize additional helicopters and drone teams, the prime minister said.
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Similarly, an emergency Cabinet meeting decided to intensify search, rescue and treatment efforts in the affected areas. The government has declared 15 affected local levels as disaster crisis-hit areas for three months, Shah said.
He said the government had decided to provide financial assistance to the families of those killed in the disaster as provided by law, immediately rescue injured and stranded citizens and move them to safe locations, including by mobilizing the Nepali Army and private-sector helicopters.
The government has also arranged free treatment for the injured, shelter, food and accommodation for those who lost their homes, and the immediate restoration of essential services, including electricity, telecommunications, roads and drinking water, Shah said.
According to Shah, 1,126 people have so far been rescued following the flood. Some of those rescued were admitted to hospitals for treatment, while many have already been discharged after receiving care, he said. The search for people who remain unaccounted for is continuing.
Shah said seriously injured people, pregnant women, new mothers, children, senior citizens and persons with disabilities were prioritized during rescue operations.
Beds have been reserved at the National Trauma Center and Bir Hospital, while other major hospitals have also been asked to remain on standby, he said. Medical teams have been deployed to the affected areas in coordination with the Nepal Scouts, World Health Organization and Nepal Red Cross, among others.
To prevent shortages of medicines and blood during emergency health services, coordination has been established with blood transfusion service centers, the health ministries of Bagmati and Gandaki provinces, and the Nepal Red Cross Society, Shah said.
2,281 affected people sheltered at 18 temporary sites
Prime Minister Shah said 2,281 flood-affected people are currently receiving shelter and relief at 18 temporary shelters. Shelter and relief have also been arranged in Nuwakot for people affected in Rasuwa, he said.
Eight trucks carrying relief materials were sent to the affected areas on the day of the disaster. Relief supplies have been stored at the National Emergency Warehouse at Tribhuvan International Airport, Nepal Army barracks in Nuwakot and the Baireni Barracks and are being dispatched to affected areas based on priority, Shah said.
