Nepal Govt discusses safe resettlement of Bhotekoshi flood victims: Minister

The Nepal Government said on Monday it is holding discussions with local authorities on resettling Bhotekoshi flood victims in safe places, as most of them cannot be settled in their original locations devastated by the floods.

Minister for Information and Communication Bikram Timilsina said the government was collaborating and coordinating with various agencies on relief, relocation and reconstruction for people affected by the Bhotekoshi flash floods. Flash floods, originating near the Nepal-Tibet border on August 26, devastated towns and villages in northern and central Nepal. The Bhotekoshi River, which flows south from the Himalayan border region, carried the floodwaters downstream, sweeping away homes, vehicles, roads and bridges and damaging hydropower projects.

In a meeting with a delegation of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) at the ministry, Timilsina said relocation and reconstruction were among the Government’s priorities and programmes were being taken forward based on the problems faced by the victims and their needs.

“There is no condition to make a settlement for the flood victims in the place where they were living. To develop a new settlement, discussions are going on with the local levels as to which places are safe and appropriate,” Timilsina said, according to his secretariat.

The meeting also discussed possible contributions by the NRNA to the Government’s relief and rehabilitation efforts for the flood victims.

The NRNA delegation —which included vice-chair Rojina Rai Pradhan, general secretary Chiranjivi Khadka, Radhika Gurung and chief administrative Officer Rajendra Kumar Rawat — also informed the minister that its third phase of relief distribution among the flood victims was underway.