KATHMANDU, Sept 18: The country received 240 percent more rainfall during this monsoon. Some places in particular have recorded 200mm of rainfall as well.
Rainfall over 100mm is called high-intensity rainfall and is considered to be risky for triggering water-induced disasters such as landslides and floods.
According to the statistics of the Ministry of Home Affairs, a total of 374 persons died in the monsoon-induced disasters since April this year. While 101 persons have gone missing, 421 others were injured.
Landslides that occurred in various districts including Baglung, Bajhang, Parbat and Sindhupalchowk this monsoon season caused a huge loss of lives and properties.
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In the meeting of Parliamentary State Affairs and Good-Governance Committee on Friday, Minister for Home Affairs Ram Bahadur Thapa said the government has taken necessary initiatives to respond to such natural disasters and to prevent them.
“A huge loss of human lives was caused due to the landslides that occurred in the areas not deemed vulnerable to landslides. Even the experts could not gauge the possibility of natural disasters in those areas. We are looking into such incidents,” he said.
This is for the third time the committee is consecutively deliberating on the issues surrounding natural disasters and its aftermath.
Sindhupalchowk recorded the highest casualties due to landslides and floods this year. These natural calamities were triggered by incessant rainfall.
A total of 271 persons lost their lives due to landslides while 206 others sustained injuries. Similarly, 39 persons were reported dead in flooding and 64 persons succumbed to lightning and 203 others were left injured.
Responding to the queries raised by the parliamentarians in the Committee, Minister Thapa shared that rescue and relief operations were expedited simultaneously in those disaster-hit areas.
On the occasion, the parliamentarians expressed their concerns for not relocating the human settlements that were at the areas highly prone to landslides and floods. However, Minister Thapa said that many such settlements were already relocated while some other settlements did not cooperate with the government authorities in their resettlement plan.
“A temporary settlement was built at Lidi in Sindhupalchowk district considering the risks of further landslides. The locals stayed in that temporary settlement for a night. The unpleasant incident occurred the next morning as they had returned to their home assuming that there would not be any landslide thereafter,” Minister Thapa further said.
