Ilam District at High Risk of Disconnection Due to Monsoon

Ilam. With the monsoon becoming active, Ilam district is at high risk of being disconnected from other parts of the country. 

The risk of the district being cut off from the road network has increased due to the lack of reconstruction of roads, bridges, and landslide-affected areas damaged by heavy rains last year.

Local governments have complained of extreme neglect by the federal government in the reconstruction of physical infrastructure. Kedar Thapa, mayor of Ilam Municipality, said that the municipality suffered significant losses due to the devastating flood and landslides on October 4 and 5 last year.  

Rainfall of up to 231 millimeters washed away many roads, culverts, and bridges, and also caused human casualties. ‘The bailey bridge over the Puwa River on the Kechana-Kanchenjunga road, which the municipality brought with great effort, was washed away by the flood, and the old bailey bridge on the Jogmai River also did not survive,’ said Thapa.  

According to him, the flood and landslides caused damage worth approximately 400 million rupees to drinking water, irrigation, road networks, and agricultural production. More than 350 people have been displaced by the disaster, of whom about 200 are still fully displaced.

Due to the non-construction of damaged structures, the road in the Rajduwali area of the Maihola section of Ilam along the Mechi Highway gets blocked even with light rain. Due to large landslides, long queues of vehicles form daily, and passengers have to suffer. ‘There are big landslides there, the highway is in disarray, it is impossible to drive vehicles. Even though we informed the concerned bodies on time, the road has not been built,’ said Thapa.

Elected representatives are angry that the federal government has not allocated budget for the reconstruction of Ilam, which has been declared a disaster-affected area. The center's budget for the construction of agricultural roads and infrastructure in Ilam, which contributes significantly to the country's GDP through tea, cardamom, and dairy production, is almost zero.

Due to the lack of timely road repairs, there is a risk of not being able to send Ilam's agricultural production out this year. Thapa said, ‘The damage is 400 million rupees, but only 6 million rupees came from the Disaster Authority, which is not even 0.5 percent of the work. The federal government did not address Ilam, which plays an important role in the national economy, in the budget.’

As there was no help from the center, the municipality cut down less important projects and created an emergency fund of 20 million rupees to clear the roads and distribute relief, he informed. Although the municipality's total budget appears large, most of it is spent on salaries and administrative tasks, so Thapa clarified that only about 150 million rupees can be mobilized for development and reconstruction.

He emphasized the need to strengthen the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority financially and technically, stating that major disasters cannot be addressed by local resources alone. Despite the difficult circumstances, the municipality has kept machines and equipment ready in coordination with the Nepali Army, Armed Police Force, and Nepal Police, maintaining 24-hour vigilance, he said.

Despite limited resources, the municipality is carrying out rehabilitation and preparedness work for disaster-affected people. A Local Disaster and Climate Resilience Framework has been created for disaster risk reduction, and an Emergency Operations Center has been brought into operation. Fire engines and loaders have been kept ready. Out of 132 families affected by last year's floods and landslides, 92 families have received the first installment for temporary housing, and 66 families have received the second installment.

Similarly, various organizations have built temporary housing for 36 families. A list of 166 households for permanent housing reconstruction has been collected, of which 52 households have been identified as beneficiaries. The municipality stated that agreements have been made with 21 families, and the details of 45 households have been sent for review.