Nuwakot Flood Damages Homes of Nearly 2,000 Families

Nuwakot. Preliminary data has been released showing that the homes of one thousand nine hundred fifty-five families residing in four local levels of Nuwakot have been damaged due to the flood that came in the Trishuli river via BhoteKoshi on the 10th of Bhadra. According to the details publicly released today by the District Administration Office Nuwakot, families in Bidur Municipality, Belkotgadhi Municipality, Tarksheshwor Rural Municipality, and Kispaang Rural Municipality have had their homes damaged by the flood. The administration has stated that the flood has washed away houses and also made some houses uninhabitable by entering water and mud into them. According to Chief District Officer Shambhu Prasad Regmi, the preliminary data was prepared based on the recommendations received from the ward offices of the local levels and concerned bodies along with the list of homeowners. According to him, as the data collection of the affected families is still ongoing, the number of damaged houses is expected to exceed two thousand as more families may be added. "The received details are preliminary data recommended by the ward offices and concerned local levels along with the list of homeowners. As some households may have been missed, the number of affected families may still increase," said Chief District Officer Regmi. According to the preliminary details, Bidur Municipality has the highest number of damaged homes, affecting one thousand six hundred seventy-eight families. Similarly, Belkotgadhi Municipality has one hundred ninety-five, Tarksheshwor Rural Municipality has forty-eight, and Kispaang Rural Municipality has thirty-four families whose homes have been damaged. Mayor of Bidur Municipality, Rajan Shrestha, stated that most of the affected families' homes were completely damaged by the flood, and belongings such as clothes, food, utensils, and documents inside the houses were also destroyed. According to him, affected families whose homes were damaged by the flood or became uninhabitable due to floodwaters entering them have been urged not to re-occupy them. He stated that prioritizing relocation to safe places is important as further damage could occur by staying in risky houses or places reached by floodwaters. "We have been assisting in the excavation of houses buried or damaged by the flood and have advised against living in risky houses or places reached by floodwaters," said Mayor Shrestha. "We are gradually arranging for the affected people, who have been managed and kept in holding centers after the flood, to stay in rooms. We are providing a monthly rent of Rs 10,000, as well as kitchen, sanitation, and essential supplies." The government is also preparing to build temporary shelters for affected families who do not wish to live in rented rooms or cannot find suitable rooms. For this, the Urban and Building Construction Project is collecting data of the affected families. During the data collection at the location where the affected families are residing, four hundred eighty-six families have stated that they would be comfortable if temporary shelters were built. Project Chief Shashindra Ghimire informed that the process of constructing temporary shelters has been initiated by identifying the needs of the affected based on the collected data. "We have collected details of families requiring temporary shelters. The government has already initiated efforts to build temporary shelters based on the demand and needs of the affected families," said Project Chief Ghimire. After the BhoteKoshi flood, the government, in collaboration with various agencies, is rapidly advancing various rehabilitation and recovery efforts for the affected, including facilitating them, for collecting detailed information of damaged houses and structures in Nuwakot, managing affected families, and their resettlement. After the final details of the damage are prepared, with the possibility of more families being included in the preliminary damage assessment of homes, preparations are underway to proceed with the process related to the construction of temporary and permanent housing for the affected.