JUMLA, Oct 31: Eight hundred farmers of Jumla have been badly affected by the recent floods triggered by incessant rains from October 18 to October 20. The floods damaged the farmers' crops including apple orchard, walnut nursery, apple nursery, maize, bean and millet. According to the data prepared by the District Administration Office, Jumla, 800 people of the district have been affected by the floods.
One person has gone missing in the floods in the Hima River. The body of Ratna Shahi of Hima Rural Municipality-6 has not been found yet. The floods have destroyed 23 irrigation canals and 10 power plants due to which people were forced to live in darkness for two weeks.
Similarly, embankments that were built to reduce the damage by floods have been swept away in 10 places. The floods also damaged 12 schools, forcing students to stay home till date.
Three years on, flood victims still await relief
Chief District Officer Bijaya Prasai said that the houses of 43 people were damaged and they have been living in other people’s houses.
Likewise, 13 hectares of land has been cleared in Tila, which has damaged 141 metric tons of Marsi Dhan. A total of 229 metric tons of paddy has been destroyed in eight hectares of land in Tatopani alone whereas a total of 708 metric tons of paddy planted in 1,450 hectares in the district has been destroyed due to the flood.
According to the District Administration Office, Jumla, 769 metric tonnes of Marsi Dhan was damaged in wards 1 to 6 of Sinja Rural Municipality. Similarly, 582 metric tons of maize crop and 290 metric tons of beans were damaged as well.
A total of 117 sheep and goats have been washed away in Tila village and 35 sheep in Tatopani. Similarly, 33 small industries and traditional water mills as well as 12 apple orchards and nurseries have been destroyed in Tila whereas 39 water mills and 93 apple orchards and nurseries have been destroyed in Tatopani rural municipality.
The details of the damage caused by the flood in Jumla have been handed over to Dinbandhu Shrestha, Minister for Energy and Water Resource Development, Karnali Province. “We have been asked to prepare a relief package by submitting the details of the damage,” he said. He also inspected the flood-affected areas and said that he will raise the issues of the farmers with priority in the cabinet meeting and the provincial disaster council.
According to the senior citizens of Jumla, they haven’t seen such a big flood since the one in 1927. Chakra Bahadur Shahi of Tila-4 said, "I have never seen a huge flood of this kind and destruction of agriculture on this large scale. The farmers here are worried about starvation after the floods washed away their fields.”
