Ranjha, July 19

The District Administration Office Banke has urged the locals residing in the Rapti River side area to remain on high alert for there could be incident of flood and inundation any moment in the wake of torrential rain flooding the river of late.

According to the CDO Ram Bahadur Kuruwang, the Rapti River has been swollen due to monsoon rain. To minimize the risk of the monsoon-induced disasters on human lives and physical infrastructures, the local administration gave early warning. Monsoon has been active in Banke district since Saturday.

The water level in Rapti River alarmingly rises when it rains in the mountainous districts of this zone. The security mechanism, disaster management committees and humanitarian agencies have been appealed for humanitarian assistance for search, rescue and rehabilitation in view of the monsoon-induced disasters.

Incessant rainfall has been predicted for few more days in Banke and other adjoining districts which could swell the river and other streams here. District Emergency Operation Centre Chief Gauri Budhathoki said that the concerned agencies and the locals were warned of the possibility of rain-triggered flood and inundation. Human settlements in areas such as Narainapur, Duduwa and Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality in Banke district suffer inundation every monsoon since Indian side built Laxmanpur and Kalaklawa Embankment in Rapti River, informed Budhathoki.

He further said the villages as Fattepur, Holiya, Betahani, Bankatti, Kamdi, Gangapur, Matehiya, Narainpur and Laxamnpur annually bear the brunt of flood and inundation due to the embankments.