BIRATNAGAR: Following the havoc wreaked by floods and landslides in the eastern hilly districts at the very onset of the monsoon season, lawmakers in the Koshi Provincial Assembly have drawn the government’s attention to the crisis.

During today’s meeting, assembly members highlighted the massive physical infrastructure damage caused by floods, particularly in Panchthar and Taplejung, noting that 55 megawatts of electricity generation has come to a complete halt. They demanded immediate relief and reconstruction efforts.

During the ‘Zero Hour’ of the session, lawmakers raised issues concerning floods and landslides, alongside the growing menace of monkeys in the hills, landless peoples’ problems, and linguistic rights.

Floods damage hydropower projects

Following continuous rainfall, floods in the Kabeli and Indrawati rivers damaged four hydropower projects in Panchthar and Taplejung. The floods swept away dams, intakes, and pipelines, completely halting a total of 55 MW of electricity generation.

According to the Amarpur Sub-station in Panchthar, the floods forced the closure of Arun Kabeli Power Limited’s 25 MW project and the 10 MW Kabeli ‘B-1′ Cascade project. Similarly, Ridi Hydropower’s 9.9 MW Iwakhola project and the 9.7 MW Indrawati Khola project also sustained damage. The floods turned not only the hydropower stations but also the locals’ cardamom plantations and arable lands into barren riverbanks.

‘Relief should not be limited to announcements alone’

Lawmaker Kamal Prasad Jabegu, elected from Panchthar, informed the assembly that the floods in Yangwarak Rural Municipality swept away cattle and food grains. He noted that daily life has become grueling due to the disruption of the Mid-Hill Highway. He mentioned that around 25,436 square meter of paddy fields in Sigdeltar have been turned into sandy banks, and bridges under construction have been washed away. He said that government must immediately repair the roads and provide relief to the victims.

Another lawmaker, Maiya Shrestha, accused the provincial government of sleeping through disaster management without any prior preparation. “The government is the guardian of the people; relief should not just be announced, it must reach the doorsteps of those affected,” she said, urging the government to adopt the principle of ‘Build Back Better’ during reconstruction.

From monkey menace to landless people issues

Amid the plight of the floods, lawmaker Kamala Darnal shared that farmers in Tehrathum and Dhankuta are being forced to leave their homesteads due to the monkey menace. She added that children are afraid to go to school because of the monkeys, and demanded a national policy and budget to control the issue.

Udayapur lawmaker Himal Karki objected to attempts to run bulldozers in market areas under the pretext of extending the Madan Bhandari Highway, claiming it violates the standards of the government gazette. He also drew the government’s attention to the fact that employees of the Udayapur Cement Industry have not received their salaries for the past 14 months.

Regarding the landless people issue, lawmaker Meena Shrestha commented that running bulldozers over the huts of squatters in the style of Kathmandu was inhumane. Asking, “Is this country trying to eradicate poverty or the poor?”, she demanded that real landless people be identified and distributed land ownership certificates.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Geeta Rani Mahato suggested prioritizing the protection of the OBC (Other Backward Class) cluster and the Maghi language in the province’s policies and programs. She emphasized that a policy should be introduced making it mandatory for the children of government employees to study in public schools.