In a bid to address the overarching issues related to the environment, forests and climate change in the new federal structure, the Ministry of Forest and Environment has started drafting and amending
Dipak Gyawali, former Minister for Water Resources, heads Nepal Water Conservation Foundation and is hydropower expert. Q: Why did the Koshi breach its embankment? Who was responsible for the repair work-- India or Nepal?
Indian technical team on Thursday estimated around Rs 5.25 billion cost for reconstructing the embankment breached by the Saptakoshi River. A team including flood experts forwarded a letter with the estimation to the government of Indian state of Bihar after an inspection and study in the affected areas and the embankment. Earlier, the government of Bihar had provided only Rs 80 million for reconstruction. Meanwhile, a joint technical team of the Ministry for Water Resources from Nepal and India continued working on the reconstruction today.
Fuel adulteration has reached acute levels as the Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has failed to monitor the quality of fuel supplied in the market. Senior technicians at workshops of leading motorcycle distributors said incidences of engine damage caused by adulterated fuel have risen dramatically over the past two months. "Some 50 percent of the three dozen bikes we service daily have problems caused by contaminated fuel,' said Mukesh Lamichhane, technician and operator of a garage in Anamnagar.
At least 120 residents at Mugapatan of Kalikot district has been displaced by the landslip on Wednesday morning. Some 20 people were displaced after the landslip swept away their residents and rest others were displaced due to the danger of the landslip. Those displaced have been settled in the families of the armies. The landslide which occurred due to the incessant rainfall has also blocked the road which joins the district headquarters. Meanwhile, the Araniko Highway which was blocked from Tuesday due to the landslip has not resumed yet.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MoAC) said on Tuesday that the devastating flood caused by the Saptakoshi River breaching its embankment damaged crops worth Rs 300 million in Sunsari district. A week-long field assessment conducted by an M0AC team shows that paddy cultivation suffered the biggest loss of Rs 180 million in the district, which is one of the leading paddy producers in the country. The total area under paddy cultivation in Sunsari has been recorded at 50,920 hectares this year.
The World Bank extended its support package Nepal with 880 million rupees in grants in Kathmandu on Tuesday. The amount has been given to Nepal for the peace process, health programme and rural drinking water project. Finance Secretary Rameshwor Khanal and Ms Susan Goldmark, World Bank Country Director for Nepal, signed on the support package today. It has been learnt that 340 million rupees, out of total amount, will be spent as part of the emergency peace process.
An earthquake measuring about 6.5 richter scale was recorded in Jijang area of Tibet, China, 200 kilometer west of Jumla district at 7:06 pm Monday. According to a statement issued by National Seismological Center (NSC) on Monday, the earthquake was felt in central and western region of Nepal and also in Kathmandu Valley.
Saptakoshi flood displaced, taking shelter by the side of Koshi River in Saptari, have complained that they are compelled to live under scarcity as the relief program has been largely focused on the displaced people of Sunsari. Around 30,000 people from flood hit VDCs, who fled to Saptari side, have been cut off from Sunsari as the flood water has deluged 4 km road section along the East-West Highway. Due to lack of food and clean water many people, especially children and women, have started to fall sick.
As thousands of displaced people suffer numerous problems related to food and shelter, the local administration on Sunday said it is going to rehabilitate them within a week. Following the government's directives, District Administration Office (DAO) Sunsari is preparing to set up temporary shelters either in Narsingha or Bhokraha VDCs. According to Local Development Officer (LDO), Guru Prasad Subedi, tens of thousands of displaced people will be rehabilitated temporarily in shanties and makeshift huts within a week.
Japanese Encephalitis (JE), the disease known to be common in plain areas of the country, which kills hundreds of people every year, is increasing. Moreover, it has also been diagnosed among people living in Kathmandu Valley. Tula Kumari, 65 of Basundhara, Kathmandu is receiving treatment for JE for the last 35 days at TU Teaching Hospital (TUTH). JE is a disease that spreads to humans from infected mosquitoes. It is one of a group of mosquito-borne virus diseases that can affect the central nervous system and cause severe complications and even death.
