CHAIRMAN REGMI CONVENES MEETING TO DISCUSS FLOOD ,LANDSLIDE DAMAGE Kathmandu, 19 June: Chairman Khil Raj Regmi ha convened a meeting Wednesday of concerned ministers and security officials to discuss the early monsoon that has left behind a train of destruction especially in the far-West. At least 25 persons have been killed. Darchula is the worst affected district where 103 houses in Khalangha district headquarters along the border river Mahakali has been washed away The river has eroded the bank of the Nepalese side of the river. The water level in the turbulent river has started falling with improve weather Wednesday but bank erosion continues. MORE . DANDELDHURA RECEIVED HIGHEST RINFALL TUESDAY Kathmandu, 19 June: Dandeldhur in the far-West recorded the highest reainfall in the country Tuesday. Altogether 152mm rain was recorded in the hill district. Nnnn PROVIDENT LOAN TO NAC FOR PURCHASE OF TWO AIRBUSES Kathmandu, 19 June: Employees Provident Fund (EPF) Tuesday extended Nepal Airlines Corporation (NAC) a Rs. 10 billion loan to purchase two narrow-body Airbuses to operate international flights. The loan repayable is 15 years was extended against government guarantee... Krishna Acharya, administrator at the EPF, and Madan Kharel, General Manager of NAC, singed the agreement. nnnn AT LEAST 25 KILLED IN EARLY MONSOON O Kathmandu, 19 June: Raging floods in Far-west region caused by three days of continuous heavy downpour has so far killed 25 people, dozens other were missing and hundreds of other people have become homeless Tuesday, Gokul Niraula writes in The Rising Nepal from Mahendrangar. . Heavy downpour especially caused severe damaged of lives and properties in Darchula, Kanchanpur and Dadeldhura districts since the start of torrent rains. In two days, nearly 79 houses including 13 government offices in the district were swept away by Mahakali River in Darchula’s district headquarters Khalanga alone. On Tuesday floods and landslides took places in different parts of the districts killed 12 in Kalikot, seven in Dailekh, four in Baitadi and two in Accham. In Dailekh, seven persons of a family were killed when a house of Mohan Kumal collapsed at Malika-7 here in the district on Tuesday. The other deceased were identified Mohan’s wife Tulsa Kumal, 27, and sons Nagendra,7, Khagendra,7, and Ganesh, 11 and Bishnu, and daughters Bishna, 3 and two-year old Suntali. Meanwhile in Kalikot, twelve people died and two others were injured at Mumra VDC in the district this morning due to landslides triggered by incessant rainfall. The deceased were identified as Kala Thapa, 35, of Mumra-1, Kamara Shahi of Sipkhana-2, her five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son, Satya Shahi of Sipkhana-2, his wife sarita Shahi, five-year-old son and three-year-old daughter. Similarly, others killed in the incident include Man Bahadur Shahi of Mehalmudi-4, an overseer Krishna Neupane of Phukot-7, another overseer Takka Bahadur Bam of Thirpu and Chanchala Shahi of Sipkhana-2, according to Ramesh Kumar Pokhrel, Deputy Superintendent of Police at the District Police Office, Kalikot. Suraj Shahi of Sipkhana-2 and Brish Bahadur Shahi of Mehalmudi-4 were injured in the incident Bodies of eight people were found and the remaining are still missing, said locals. Locals and security personnel have conducted rescue operation at the incident site, said police. Chief District Officer, Jagat Bahadur Basnet, said that teams of the Nepal Army and Nepal Police reached the site. Jitgeda and Lalighat Bazaar have been inundated. The flood has swept away a grocery shop and three houses of Manma Bazaar. Vehicles have been stranded at different places after the disruption of the Karnali Highway. In Darchula, around 150 families have been rendered homeless due the floods at Dodhara and Chadani of Kanchanpur and Bhimdutta Municipality-11. Likewise, 30 families have been displaced by the flood at Sundarpur Tole of Kuda VDC-7. The water flow rate in Mahakali crossed nearly 500,000 cusec Tuesday. According to Chiranjivi Adhikari, the Chief District Officer (CDO) of Darchula district, 2,500 people were rendered homeless after their homes were washed away by the flood. Adhikari said although rainfall has decreased and along with it the flow of water in the Mahakali River, the river continues to erode the land along its banks. Adhikari said that arrangements have been made to shift the people rendered homeless to schools and at homes in safer places. The CDO said the flooded river has caused the heaviest damage at Bangabagad and Galfai in Khalanga VDC-5. He said the powerhouse of the Kalagad Hydropower Project near the district headquarters has been swept away, leading to disruption of power supply. With no electricity, the communication services have also been disrupted in the district headquarters. Transport service has also been closed in the district as landslips at different places have blocked the road. One suspension bridge each at Uku and Dattu VDCs has been swept away by the flood. Locals have alleged that the flooding in the Nepali side in the district was caused due to the release of excess water by the Indian authorities from the dam of the Dhauliganga Hydroelectricity Project citing damage to the dam. Similarly, over two dozen houses at Simaljala area and Parigaun area in Dadeldhura district have been inundated by the overflowing Mahakali River. The Area Police Office, Jogbuda stated that three families in the area have been displaced. Another Minendra Bogati's wife and daughter were killed when his house collapsed at Kuntibandali VDC-3 of Achham district on Tuesday morning. They were also killed by massive flood at Mahakali River. Four people were killed and one went missing when a house collapsed at Siddheshwor-9, Kholakhopde of Baitadi district. House belonging to Ram Singh Iyer collapsed on Monday night. According to police, Iyer’s daughter-in-law Sita, 26, one-year-old son Arjun, three-year-old daughter Bindeshwori and his wife Kalawati’s dead bodies have been recovered. However, 12-year-old son Parmeshwor is still missing. According to Gaguda VDCs former Chairman Ganesh Bogati, one Devi Bogati, 49, of Gaguda went missing while trying to cross local Rouwa River. In Kanchanpur, the mobility of human and transports on the Mahakali Bridge connecting Nepal and India at Banbasha of the district has been stopped following the rise on the water level in the River. Meanwhile, the locals in Odali, Piraiya, Bhujela areas of the Bhimdutta Municipality were urged to be alert as the areas were in high risk of flooding, said Brikh Bahadur Rawal, Sub Inspector at the District Police Office, Kanchanpur.] Rawal said some of the areas were already inundated while the River has been eroding land on the Nepali side. Similarly, Ward Nos. 7, 8 and 9 of Dodhara VDC across Mahakali River have also been completely inundated. As many as 60 households from Shantitole of Dodhara-8 have been displaced as the there were high risks of inundation of the settlements, said Pappu Gurung, a local. Locals from the inundated area have already left their homes and headed to the safer place after the flood water entered the settlements in Dodhara. Likewise, the flood inundated Ward No. 3 and 4 of Chandani VDC. The river water of local rivers including Doda, Sanbora, Syali Rivers has risen that Parasan, Laxmipur, Rampur, Bilashpur, Shankarpur, Pipaladi, Dekhatbhul VDCs are also at high risk of inundation in the district. Sanbora River eroded Dakaniya and Ranipur are of Pipaladi, Doda River eroded Tilaki, Ja of Dekhatbhuli, Daya Amarpur Camp of Krishnapur, Kanja, Parsia of Shankarpur here while Syali River eroded land around Freed Kamaiya Camp of Kalagaudi, according to locals. District Police Office has reported that the administration is yet to ascertain the details of loss due to the flood and inundation. In Butwal, flood triggered by continuous rain caused huge damages in different places of Bhairahawa, Butwal and Palpa. A road stretch near Siddhababa temple on the Butwal-Palpa road section along the Siddhartha Highway got crumbled due to incessant rainfall, said the Regional Traffic Police Office, Butwal. Likewise, the heavy rain and flood adversely affected normal life in the human settlements nearby the banks of Tinahu and Danab Rivers. One person went missing in the Tinahu River yesterday while human settlements around the River side have been heavily inundated, it is learnt. Likewise, eight families have been displaced in Dhungaad after water level rose in the Seti River. Meanwhile, the at least 200 private schools will remain closed in the district, said said Krishna Khanal, Chairperson of Private and Boarding Schools´ Organization of Nepal (PABSON), Rupandehi Chapter. In Bardiya, at least 1,500 houses have been inundated due to the flood s in the Karnali River on Tuesday. Around 700 families have been displaced due to flood s in Sonaha, Murgarwa, Nawaranga of Daulatpur VDC in Rajapur Tappu of Bardiya district. The floods have also swept away a newly built embankment. The flooded river has also entered some 600 houses in Mukta Kamaiya settlement at Chediya in Rajapur VDC. Meanwhile, Nepali Congress has demanded with government for carrying out immediate rescue operation and relief packages to flood-hit people in Far-west region. nnnn RS.600M SOUGHT FOR SUBSIDIZED FOOD Kathmandu, 19 June: The Nepal Food Corporation (NFC) has proposed Rs.600 million budget to implement various progarmmes for the next fiscal year 2070/71. Out of total, the corporation has proposed the government to allocate about Rs. 480 million as subsidy for supplying food in the food-deficit districts. “We have urged government to provide us about Rs. 480 for transporting about 150,000 quintals of rice to 23 food-scarce districts,” Indra Sitaula deputy general manager of NFC, told The Rising Nepal. The NFC will use the remaining Rs.20 million for materializing the food exchange programmes in Karnali region and for National Food Security Programmes, he said. NFC is going to fix the district–wise food quota and implement the annual programmes, he said, “We will analyze demand of food as well as previous stock to fix the quota. We will try to supply food by best utilising the allocated of fund.” Earlier, the government had announced Rs. 420 million assistance to the corporation for supplying around 143,000 quintals of rice for the current fiscal year. However, the government has provided only Rs.300 million to the corporation. The corporation was effortful to supply food as per the previous programmes, he said and asked the government to allocate remaining budget to supply food in the food deficit district at the earliest possible. The FNC has been supplying subsidized food in 23 highly food deficit districts including Taplajung, Sankhusawaba, Bhojpur, Solukhumbu, Okhaldhunga, Diktel, Manang, Gorkha, Mustang, Salyan, Rolpa, Dailekh, Jajarkot, Humla, Jumla, Mugu, Dolpa, Kalikot, Bhajang, Bajura, Achham, Baitadi and Darchula. He however, said that major food-deficit districts have demanded more than 50,000 quintals of additional food supply for the current fiscal year. “We have forwarded the demand to the concerned ministry and we will make supplies after the government provides additional budget,” he said. Stating that the supplying of food has been affected due to carteling of contractors, he said that the corporation will select contractors within a week to supply food for the next fiscal year. Earlier, the NFC had called tender through the e-bidding process to supply food in the food deficit district. “This is the first time we called tender through e-bidding which resolves the problem created from contractor carteling,” he said. nnnn