Pyuthan, July 29
Death toll from the recent spate of flooding and landslides in Pyuthan district has reached 38. On Friday, two more people were found dead, pushing the toll to 38. In Lung and Fopli, Kali Pariyar and Chameli Pun have gone missing in landslides.
In Fopli alone, 25 people have died in monsoon-induced disasters. Three people each have died in Khawang, Arkha and Lung, two people each have died in Punja and Damri, while in Majhekot, one person has died.
Ten of the dead are men, 13 are women and 15 are children. Seven people have sustained injured in the spate of disasters.
462 families displaced
Landslides have displaced 462 families from 13 VDCs. A total of 170 families have been displaced in Fopli, 113 in Arkha, 62 in Punja, 32 in Khawang, 18 in Syaulinwang, 17 in Ligha, nine in Liwang, eight in Damri, six in Rajwara, four in Bijayanagar, Pyuthan municipality-13, four in Khung and one each in Bhringi and Okharkot.
Pyuthan police have confirmed that 2,980 people from a total of 396 families have been displaced. These are initial statistics, chief district officer Janak Raj Panta said, adding that the number of displaced may go up.
With telephony disrupted in villages, collecting details of the losses has not been easy.
With rains continuing in Pyuthan and roads in bad shape due to the disasters, rushing supplies to the victims is easier said than done.
Pyuthan police chief, DSP Ranjit Singh Rathaur, said they have not been able to supply relief materials to worst-affected places like Fopli, Khawang and Argha because roads are in bad shape. He said there’s no alternative but to supply relief via air.
A huge number of displaced people have been living in school buildings. Local people fear the spread of epidemics in the absence of hygienic conditions.
