Govt to declare Inaruwa, 9 VDCs ‘emergency areas’
BY KOSH RAJ KOIRALA
KATHMANDU, Sept 3 - In an attempt to gear up relief and rehabilitation efforts for those displaced by the Saptakoshi deluge, the government has decided to declare flood-hit areas in Sunsari district 'emergency areas' for the next 10 months. The Home Ministry on Wednesday forwarded a proposal to this effect for Cabinet approval. Highly placed government sources said the Cabinet meeting scheduled on Thursday will approve the proposal to declare nine VDCs--four highly affected VDCs, five others adjoining those, and Inaruwa Municipality as 'emergency areas' till mid-July, 2009.
The VDCs proposed to be declared emergency areas include the four highly affected VDCs of Haripur, Laukahi, Paschim Kushaha and Shripur Jabdi, and the five adjoining VDCs of Jhokraha, Dhuski, Madhuwan, Basantapur and Narasingha. Officials at the Home Ministry said the decision was deemed necessary to make relief and rehabilitation efforts more effective and deliver appropriate relief measures to the victims.
The government move aims at ensuring maximum utilization of available resources for the benefit of flood-victims, bringing life-line infrastructures in affected areas back to normal and facilitating livelihood activities for the displaced. As per article 3 of the Natural Calamity Act 2039 B.S., the government can declare any natural calamity-hit area 'emergency area', considering the gravity of the ravages caused. The Act allows the government to close down government, non-government, educational and other institutions and ban all activities that affect relief and rehabilitation work. Among other things, it also permits the government to use both movable and immovable property belonging to any individual or institution for the purpose of relief and rehabilitation for a specified period.
According to the Home Ministry, the number of people completely displaced by the Saptakoshi deluge and currently sheltering in various camps in Sunsari and Saptari districts stands at 48,518. Of them, some 10,000 are believed to have entered from India, according to an unofficial report prepared by the UN's Office of Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs. The government has provided temporary shelter for 27,378 persons belonging to 4,630 completely displaced families at 29 schools and public buildings in Inaruwa, district headquarters of Sunsari district.
Likewise, an additional 21,140 displaced of 3,260 families on the other side of the Sapatakoshi Barrage in Saptari district are living in four temporary camps set up by the government. Earlier, the government had proposed a nine-month relief package for 50,000 displaced people. As per the preliminary estimate, it would cost about Rs 361 million to execute the plan, including expenses involving food items and security arrangement at the temporary camps to be set up shortly. The estimated amount also involves the cost of transportation and storage of food items and monitoring, coordination and control of the relief materials.
Source: The Kathmandu Post, 4 September 2008
KATHMANDU, Sept 3 - In an attempt to gear up relief and rehabilitation efforts for those displaced by the Saptakoshi deluge, the government has decided to declare flood-hit areas in Sunsari district 'emergency areas' for the next 10 months. The Home Ministry on Wednesday forwarded a proposal to this effect for Cabinet approval. Highly placed government sources said the Cabinet meeting scheduled on Thursday will approve the proposal to declare nine VDCs--four highly affected VDCs, five others adjoining those, and Inaruwa Municipality as 'emergency areas' till mid-July, 2009.
The VDCs proposed to be declared emergency areas include the four highly affected VDCs of Haripur, Laukahi, Paschim Kushaha and Shripur Jabdi, and the five adjoining VDCs of Jhokraha, Dhuski, Madhuwan, Basantapur and Narasingha. Officials at the Home Ministry said the decision was deemed necessary to make relief and rehabilitation efforts more effective and deliver appropriate relief measures to the victims.
The government move aims at ensuring maximum utilization of available resources for the benefit of flood-victims, bringing life-line infrastructures in affected areas back to normal and facilitating livelihood activities for the displaced. As per article 3 of the Natural Calamity Act 2039 B.S., the government can declare any natural calamity-hit area 'emergency area', considering the gravity of the ravages caused. The Act allows the government to close down government, non-government, educational and other institutions and ban all activities that affect relief and rehabilitation work. Among other things, it also permits the government to use both movable and immovable property belonging to any individual or institution for the purpose of relief and rehabilitation for a specified period.
According to the Home Ministry, the number of people completely displaced by the Saptakoshi deluge and currently sheltering in various camps in Sunsari and Saptari districts stands at 48,518. Of them, some 10,000 are believed to have entered from India, according to an unofficial report prepared by the UN's Office of Coordinator of Humanitarian Affairs. The government has provided temporary shelter for 27,378 persons belonging to 4,630 completely displaced families at 29 schools and public buildings in Inaruwa, district headquarters of Sunsari district.
Likewise, an additional 21,140 displaced of 3,260 families on the other side of the Sapatakoshi Barrage in Saptari district are living in four temporary camps set up by the government. Earlier, the government had proposed a nine-month relief package for 50,000 displaced people. As per the preliminary estimate, it would cost about Rs 361 million to execute the plan, including expenses involving food items and security arrangement at the temporary camps to be set up shortly. The estimated amount also involves the cost of transportation and storage of food items and monitoring, coordination and control of the relief materials.
Source: The Kathmandu Post, 4 September 2008
