Officials at Home Ministry said the government has already released Rs 150 million for the rehabilitation purpose and more funds are in the pipeline. [break]
Under Secretary Ishwar Raj Regmi at the ministry’s Disaster Section said the government has decided to provide Rs 50,000 in cash, a shelter-kit containing utensils, clothes, a tent and other essential items to each of the displaced family. The government will also provide food to the displaced families for three month.
“We expect that displaced people will start returning to their homes this week,” said Regmi.
Over 7,000 families that were completely displaced by the flood are currently living in temporary shelters in Sunsari and Saptari districts. The ministry has estimated that the cost of rehabilitation will be around Rs 480 million.
Four VDCs -- Haripur, Laukahi, Paschim Kushaha and Sripur Jabdi — were the most affected by the floods. Adjoining VDCs of Jhokraha, Dhuski, Madhuwan, Basantapur and Narasingha were partly affected.
“All the displaced people except those living in some parts of Shreepur and Haripur VDCs are in a position to return to their home villages after the flow of Koshi River was diverted to its original course last week,” he added.
“We may have to rehabilitate about 30 to 40 percent of the total displaced families in some alternative areas as the houses and farmlands were completely destroyed in the areas where the Koshi flowed after the breach,” he further said.
Officials said the government is mulling using some 300 bighas of land owned by Sunsari District Agriculture Office in Itahari Municipality for their rehabilitation.
Earlier in September, the government had declared all these VDCs and Inaruwa Municipality as ‘emergency areas’ till mid-July, 2009, to ensure temporary rehabilitation of the flood-hit people.
The government move is aimed at ensuring maximum utilization of available resources for the benefit of flood victims, bringing lifeline infrastructure in the affected areas back to normal and facilitating livelihood for the displaced.
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