Ilam, November 5
Landslides and floods triggered by incessant rainfall on October 4 and 5 caused property damage worth Rs 11.81 billion in Ilam district.
Chief District Officer (CDO) Sunita Nepal said the disasters damaged roads, bridges, buildings, drinking water systems, irrigation projects, as well as the agriculture and livestock sectors across the district.
According to preliminary data collected from 11 government offices, including the Road Division, Infrastructure Development Office, Nepal Electricity Authority, and Water Resources and Irrigation Division, the total losses amount to Rs 11.81 billion.
Projects under the Road Division sustained the highest losses, estimated at Rs 6.96 billion. Similarly, the Infrastructure Development Office reported damages of Rs 2.34 billion to roads, Rs 850 million to bridges, and Rs 40 million to buildings.
The District Administration Office reported that projects under the Nepal Electricity Authority suffered damages worth Rs 24.7 million, while the Water Resources and Irrigation Division recorded losses exceeding Rs 328 million.
Likewise, property worth more than Rs 40 million was damaged under the Veterinary Hospital and Livestock Expert Centre.
CDO Nepal said that under the Dhankuta Field Unit Office of the Water Supply and Sewerage Management Department, 29 drinking water projects suffered losses amounting to Rs 287.5 million. Similarly, 223 projects under the Water Supply and Sanitation Division Office in Bhadrapur, Jhapa, incurred losses of Rs 280.1 million.
In the agricultural sector, food and cash crops cultivated on 892.32 hectares of land by 3,409 farmers were damaged, resulting in losses worth Rs 274.9 million, according to the Agriculture Knowledge Centre. Under the National Tea and Coffee Development Board’s Tea Expansion Programme, 25 tea estates reported damages totaling about Rs 47.55 million.
Nepal Telecom also suffered losses of Rs 508,000 from damages to 10 optical fiber and cable lines. Under the Irrigation and Water Resource Management Project in Gainde, Jhapa, 31 projects were affected by landslides, with losses amounting to Rs 329 million.
CDO Nepal told RSS that the damage assessment report has been submitted to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and other concerned ministries.
“The preliminary damage assessment was compiled from respective sectoral offices within the district, in coordination with local governments,” she said.
In Ilam, 39 people lost their lives, 26 were injured, and one person remains missing due to the disasters, which displaced 711 households. Of them, 700 are currently staying with relatives, while 11 are taking shelter in community buildings, according to the District Administration Office.
Floods and landslides completely destroyed 365 houses and partially damaged 940 across 10 local levels of Koshi Province.
