Government urged to respond to Thame flood seriously

Kathmandu, August 18: The attention of the government has been drawn towards a significant loss in Thame of Khumbu Pasang Lhamu rural municipality-5 in Solukhumbu.

In a session of the National Assembly today, lawmaker Krishna Bahadur Rokaya demanded time to express concerns over the losses caused by the flood from the local Thame river at the rural municipality at around 11:30 am on August 16. As he briefed the session, 20 houses, one medical clinic and a school building were swept away in the flooding while one has gone missing. Many more houses have been inundated, he said, demanding the government amplify search and rescue operations.     

The incident is said to be a consequence of the outburst of Khumbu Glacier Lake and the reports surrounding the incident be researched. The government should be sensitive to potential risks from the lake.     

Rukmini Koirala said the sudden disaster in Solukhumbu, the district of Koshi Province, reportedly resulted in losses. "It also triggered a flood in the Dudhkoshi River, I hereby seek actual details and data from an official channel in this regard," she said.     

The disaster was said to be the result of climate change and we need an official statement, she asserted.     

Gopi Bahadur Sarki Achhami also drew the government's attention to the flood in Thame in Solukhumbu.     

Mountain settlements that fall under geographically volatile zones are considered to be at further risk of disasters due to continuous monsoon rains and in this pretext, the government should implement a rehabilitation plan for the citizens in a vulnerable zone, he advised.     

Prior to this, also seeking time in the session, other members including Jayanti Devi Rai underlined the need to shift the Thame people to a safer area.