Prime Minister and Chairman of the ruling CPN-UML KP Sharma Oli has instructed the concerned bodies to promptly and effectively carry out the disaster management and relief works in Sindhupalchowk, which was recently devastated by floods.
During a meeting with a delegation of the CPN-UML Bagmati provincial committee that reached his official residence in Baluwatar on Friday, the Prime Minister said that no one should politicise the issue of natural disaster, instead it should be dealt with a humanitarian approach.
Stating that the disaster in Sindhupalchowk was a humanitarian crisis, the Prime Minister said that the government had paid attention to make arrangements for the Bailey bridges at the disaster hit areas where the bridges were washed away.
He also instructed the concerned bodies to promptly install flood warning sirens, install steel wire fences to prevent soil erosion and make arrangements for temporary shelters for the victims by using local materials.
He also pointed out the need for providing relief according to the requirements of the victims.
Presenting a memorandum to the Prime Minister, Chairman of CPN-UML Bagmati Province committee Ananda Pokhrel said that the government should provide compensation to the families of the deceased and bear the treatment expenses of the injured.
He also asked the government to deploy a multi-dimensional expert technical team to assess the cost and budget for the reconstruction by conducting a detailed survey.
The delegation further demanded temporary accommodation to 400 displaced families and provide eight bundles of zinc sheets to each affected family to build temporary shelters.
They also asked the government to protect the riverside market by immediately constructing embankments, make arrangements to reconstruct and repair the houses and roads damaged by the floods.
The delegation also asked the government to reconstruct and repair damaged infrastructures, including the Melamchi Drinking Water Project, school buildings and police office.
They further demanded that the government should preserve drinking water sources and make arrangements of safe drinking water to the flood victims.
They also urged the government to operate health camps for the prevention, control and treatment of water borne diseases and other communicable diseases.
The delegation also asked the government to divert the river to its original course by installing a wire fence in the riverbank and relocate risky settlements to the safer places.
They also demanded interest waiver and loan restructuring to protect the investment of those operating various businesses in the flood-hit areas. At least 16 people were killed and 400 families were displaced in the floods and landslides in Sindhupalchowk on July 15. Altogether 337 houses and 60 cowsheds, six motor bridges and 13 suspension bridges have been washed away.
Similarly, a building of the police office at Kiul in Helambu-2 collapsed, two school buildings are on the verge of collapse and roads have been washed away in various places, bringing the traffic to a total halt.
It was also informed that the drinking water system has been completely disrupted and there is a shortage of drinking water. Likewise, the irrigation canals around the river side have been washed away, settlements located at the river side have been buried in mud and 10 trout fish farms were washed away.
The memorandum also stated that the Melamchi Drinking Water Project also suffered a loss and power transmission lines have been blocked.
Source : TRN,
