Kanchanpur, August 13

With the early warning system in place, no human loss has been reported in floods in the district.

The district emergency operation center was set up with the initiative of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, which measured the water level in the major rivers and spread awareness on it. It contributed much to reduce the flood-related casualty to zero.

Mahesh Ghimire of MRED project launched by Nepal Red Cross Society shared that when it rains in the hilly areas including Chure region, the emergency operation centre informs the staffs for measuring the water levels of rivers at the lower basin.

After the measurement, information is spread via various media, so that preventive measures are adopted, he added. Before the river reaches the alert point, the settlements on the downstream are made aware via siren and mike announcement.

Similarly, the first aid taskforce, rescue, and relief taskforce are also kept stand by. "Before the floods, the task force members are prepared with exercise, Ghimire explained. Even the problem of land erosion has reduced after the bio embankment launched along with public awareness by the Red Cross.

The local levels have also provided financial assistance for the activities conducted to reduce soil erosion. "Earlier, there were no well-managed settlements," said a local Mangal Prasad Chaudhary, adding that the settlements are now managed and people are informed early about the possible threat of floods.

So, there is no human loss at present, he reminded. According to the Red Cross, in 2009 flood, a total of 2250 households were directly affected in the district. Three people died in the flood, 76 families got displaced and 850 houses received partial damage.