Over 300 pilgrims were rescued from Simikot and Hilsa regions with around 250 people moved from Hilsa to Simikot and more than 90 pilgrims were evacuated from Simikot with the help of six flights on July 5, 2018.

Nepal Tourism and Civil Aviation Minister Rabindra Adhikari says that the pilgrims were further airlifted to Surkhet district with the aid of primary and army helicopters.

The rescue operations picked up pace after Indian officials requested Nepal Government to evacuate the stranded Indian nationals using army helicopters.

According to the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, over 1,000 pilgrims who were travelling to a pilgrimage site in Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) through Nepal were also stranded in Simikot and Hilsa.

A major chunk of pilgrims may have been removed from the affected areas, but the fact remains that over 900 pilgrims are still stuck in Simikot, Hilsa and the Tibet side of Nepal.

Overall, 336 of the total 636 evacuated pilgrims were airlifted on July 4, 2018, while around 300 are still at Simikot.

Also Read:-

• Nepal Floods 2018: Rains Topple Life at Nepal, 1200 Pilgrims Stranded

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On the occasion of its 71^st Independence Day, India offered 30 ambulances and six buses to various hospitals, charitable trusts and educational institutions located in various districts of Nepal, on August 15, 2017.

India also gifted books to around 61 libraries and various educational institutions across Nepal, informed an official release by the Embassy.

In a function organized at Indian Embassy, Kathmandu to mark Indian Independence Day, Indian Ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri also distributed cheques of Rs 57 million (Nepali Rupees) and blankets to 15 widows and wards of deceased soldiers of Indian armed forces.

This move by India to give ambulances to Nepal will add to the government’s efforts towards providing relief measures to the flood victims.

At the event, the students of Indian Culture Centre, Kendriya Vidyalaya and Modern Indian School sang patriotic songs. The event also witnessed a musical performance by Indian Music Band Astitva and the ceremony concluded with a performance by the Nepal Army Band.

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As part of relief measures being provided to #NepalFloods2017, various NGOs, private organizations and government bodies, among others came forward to extend their support to the flood victims.

The Nepal Government ramped up its relief measures, authorities distributed food and water packets through helicopters across the worst-hit southern districts and security forces helped those stuck in waters by taking them to rooftops.

The staff of the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MoAD) and its affiliated bodies yesterday announced around Rs 12 million contribution for the rescue and relief works. The amount collected will be deposited in the PM’s Disaster Relief fund (PMRF).

Nepal Students Union (NSU) Lamjung has been running a fund-collection campaign since August 14, 2017 and has collected Rs 48,089 till yesterday. NSU Lamjung leader Deepak Adhikari called on locals to support the flood victims of Tarai.

The Nepali Congress (NC) Committee has also decided to donate a month’s salary of its lawmakers to the flood victims. NC has around 207 lawmakers each earning Rs 100,000 per month.

The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) also extended its support by announcing Rs 10 million (including donations from its members and other organizations) in donation, of which, Nepal Young Entrepreneurs Forum donated Rs 1.5 million.

Jhapa-based Nepal Red Cross Society distributed food, water and other materials to almost 800 flood-hit victims of the region. District Chamber of Commerce, Nepal Jaycees and Electricity Entrepreneur Association are among others who participated in relief measures.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA) released a notification yesterday prohibiting NGOs and organizations from collecting funds individually in the name of relief measures and directed to go with PMRF if anyone is willing to fund.

Special Relief Fund

In a special meeting, the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) International Coordination Council decided to arrange a special fund to support the flood victims. NRNA President Shesh Ghale and his wife Jamuna Ghale announced Rs 10 million to the relief fund. Ghale also informed that they would meet the victims soon to distribute various relief materials.

Health Experts Warn Disease Threat

According to Nepali health officials, hundreds of flood-hit victims are suffering from various infections because of contaminated drinking water and polluted environment caused by the floods. Fever, diarrheal diseases, conjunctivitis, gastritis and skin-related infections were the major issues seen in common among the victims.

According to District Public Health Office (DPHO) of Banke, hundreds of locals across Kamaiya Danda in Rapti Sonari-6, Tikulipur, Balapur, Phattepur, Baijapur and Kachanapur, are facing similar issues.

“Many have fallen sick after drinking contaminated water. We have dispatched health workers in all the flood-affected areas in the district,” said Khim Bahadur Khadka, senior officer at DPHO Banke.

Locals of Saptari, one of the most-affected regions, are facing serious health challenges. “We have been out on the road without food and clean drinking water for four days. Many of the elderly, expectant and postpartum mothers and children have fallen ill,” said Budhan Mukhiya of Hanumannagar Kulauni.

Despite this situation, victims across Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality, Dudawa, among others failed to undergo necessary treatment as the floods inundated local primary healthcare centers.

Floods Hit Other Parts of South Asia

While the death toll due to floods reached around 245 across various parts of South Asia (parts of northern India, southern Nepal and Bangladesh), Nepal alone registered 120 cases with tens of thousands displaced and hundreds of villages flooded.

Across the Nepal border, around 41 in Bihar (India), 46 in Himachal Pradesh (India), 21 in Assam (India) and 27 in Bangladesh lost their lives in the disaster and more than 10 lakh people found shelter in over 1000 government-arranged relief camps.

According to the state-run Flood Forecasting and Warning Center, around 18 Bangladeshi rivers were heavily flooded and flowing at high-risk levels.

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As the Nepal-India ‘umbrella agreement’ is about to expire on Saturday, the Nepal Government is currently thinking on whether to extend the small development projects undertaken by the Indian Government as per the agreement.

Under the agreement that was signed in 2003, the Indian Embassy has been extending its direct support to the local bodies of Nepal with regard to developmental activities, such as building educational institutions and hospitals in those areas.

The project enables Nepali local bodies to directly reach out to the Indian Embassy for financial assistance up to Rs 50 million for various developmental projects.

However, the new structure formed following the recent local body polls, restricts local units from receiving foreign funds directly from any bilateral or multilateral donors.

According to a senior Finance Ministry official, the new constitutional structure allows local bodies to receive direct financial assistance only from the provincial or central governments.

“We have already communicated this to the Indian side. But the Indian side has been insisting on extending the provision for a year, suggesting a modification to the MoU after the provincial elections,” said the official.

While confirming that ongoing projects would continue, he also clarified, “for the new ones, we have to either wait until the provincial elections or make a full-fledged institutional arrangement.”

Expressing the Ministry’s unwillingness to discontinue the provision, the official said that the Indian side will have to reach an agreement with the central government for continuation of the project.

Some other Nepali officials are of view that giving direct access to India will also stimulate other countries to make similar proposals.

Meanwhile, an Indian Embassy official said that they have not received any official confirmation from Nepal authorities in this regard. “Until the institutional arrangement is made, we will not provide grants and will continue the existing projects. But we will start distributing grants once new arrangements are made,” added the Indian official.

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