KATHMANDU: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has said that eight bundles of corrugated sheets would be provided to each family displaced by flood and landslide in Sindhupalchowk.
Receiving a memorandum submitted by a team comprising CPN (UML) Bagmati Province Organisation Committee Chair Ananda Prasad Pokharel and In-charge Ram Bahadur Thapa at the official residence of the Prime Minister, Baluwatar, today, Prime Minister Oli expressed commitment to provide such amount of corrugated sheets to displaced families for the construction of temporary houses through the Ministry of Urban Development.
PM Oli also directed the concerned offices to restore the damaged drinking water facility, electricity service and telephone service immediately.
Pokharel said that the Prime Minister also asked the bodies concerned to construct bridge to resume road, to construct suspension bridge and to install siren to provide information about flood.
On the occasion, Pokharel urged PM Oli to provide compensation and relief to the family of the deceased, relief and rehabilitation to 400 displaced families, to control river and immediate reconstruction of damaged infrastructures (drinking water, electricity, road and bridges) by addressing the problems facing by the landslide and flood affected areas at the earliest.
Stones and debris following the flood in Melamchi, Yangri and Larke rivulets on June 15 completely damaged six towns of Melamchi municipality, Helambu and Panchpokhari Thangpal rural municipality as well as human settlements—Chanaute, Melamchi, Gyalthum, Talamarang, Halde and Timbu.
A total of 16 people lost their lives to the flood and landslide while 400 families were displaced and 337 houses and 60 huts, six motorable bridges and 13 suspension bridges were swept away by the flood and landslide, reads the memo.
Melamchi Drinking Water project suffered huge losses due to the flood. Power supply has been disrupted and entrepreneurs running their business from bank loans have been facing problem to pay the bank installment.
18-point demand submitted to PM Oli
The CPN (UML) Bagmati committee has presented a charter of 18-point demand to Prime Minister Oli seeking the government’s role to ease the life of the flood-affected people in Sindhupalchowk.
The memorandum demands that the government should provide proper compensation to the families of the deceased and bear all the medical expenses of the injured. Likewise, a detailed survey of the affected-areas should be ensured with the help of a multi-dimensional expert team and works should be promptly started to build an integrated settlement for the survivors, it asserted.
It has been demanded that eight bundles of corrugated zinc sheets should be made available immediately for constructing temporary shelter for 400 families displaced by the flood and immediate post-disaster response actions including the construction of river dams and rebuilding of damaged houses has been emphasized.
The party has also sought the restoration of damaged roads to resume traffic and temporary arrangements of alternative means of transport like Bailey bridge, suspension bridge for the convenience of people’s movement.
It further demanded that disrupted communications and power supply system in the affected areas should be restored without any further delay and safe drinking water supply should be ensured by repairing the damaged water resources and their conservation. Damage reported at the source of Melamchi Drinking Water Project should be fixed and water supply to the Kathmandu Valley be reinstated.
Likewise, the government has been urged to promptly build new buildings for two schools hit by the devastating flood and resume classes.
Demands have been put forth for rehabilitation of flood-damaged police outposts and provision of additional security for the livelihood of the people. The party has highlighted the need for restoring police beat and taking additional provisions for the security of public and conducting health camps to control the possible outbreak of water-borne diseases and other infectious diseases after the disaster, by reaching to the affected by all the means of support like food stuff and other essentials.
It is demanded that the river should be restored to its old course by constructing wire mesh embankment on the river bank and integrated housing should be constructed for the vulnerable population so as to mitigate the losses from water-induced disaster that the district is enduring each year.
Similarly, exemption of interests of loans and refinancing have been sought in order to protect the investment in agricultural crops, livestock, agricultural farms, hotels, resorts, shops and other businesses operating along the river banks. An installation of a siren system has been demanded for the warning of the arrival of the disaster.
