KATHMANDU, Oct 22 (NNN-XINHUA) – The death toll from floods and landslides sparked by unseasonal rainfalls in Nepal, has risen to 101 by last night, with 35 others still missing.
The rain-induced disasters have left 40 people injured and caused a huge loss of crops and properties.
“We are currently focusing on rescue and relief operations. The estimate of losses of properties will be done later,” Hum Kala Pandey, chief of the Disaster and Conflict Management Division, under the Ministry of Home Affairs, told Xinhua. “We have evacuated over 4,000 people to safe places from different districts.”
Pandey said, the unexpected downpours that started on Monday, after the monsoon receded early this month, had hit Province 1 in eastern Nepal and Sudur Paschim and Karnali Provinces in the west.
“There was no heavy rainfall yesterday, therefore, we are expecting there won’t be further losses from now on,” he added.
Nepali Prime Minister, Sher Bahadur Deuba, visited Bajhang and Kailali districts, in Sudur Paschim Province yesterday, and directed local authorities to launch prompt rescue and relief operations, and promised a relief package to farmers who lost their padi fields.
According to an estimate by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, padi worth 10 billion Nepali rupees (8.3 million U.S. dollars) has been destroyed in the floods.
“We have started to collect reports on the losses,” said Prakash Kumar Sanjel, spokesperson for the ministry. “It will take some days to find out the actual losses.”
The Nepali government has decided to provide 200,000 rupees (1,667 dollars) to each family that has lost a member in the disasters, and an additional 100,000 rupees (833 dollars) to families losing more than one member.
For families who lost houses, the government offers an aid ranging between 300,000 rupees (2,500 dollars) and 500,000 rupees (4,167 dollars).– NNN-XINHUA
