July 5: The government has decided to provide up to Rs 500,000 to the families displaced by natural disaster. According to the government, it has allocated the relief amount for reconstruction and rehabilitation. 

The government will provide Rs 500,000 per family in the mountainous districts, Rs 400,000 in the hill districts and Rs 300,000 in the terai districts in accordance to the Disaster Affected Private Housing Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Grant Procedure 2077. The amount will be released in installments. 

Speaking at a meeting of the National Assembly on Sunday, Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Bishnu Prasad Poudel said that the government has initiated the process of providing an immediate relief of Rs 50,000 per affected family through the District Administration Offices for temporary accommodation. A total of Rs 28.6 million has been allocated for this. 

Informing the assembly about the damage caused by the natural disaster in different parts of the country since the beginning of monsoon this year, Poudel said that the government has given necessary instructions for immediate rescue, relief and rehabilitation in coordination with the stakeholders. 

 According to him, 572 houses have been completely damaged while 112 houses have been partially damaged since the onset of the rainy season this year. Similarly, floods and landslides have also damaged 36 government buildings and nine schools. 

A total of fifteen motorable bridges have been damaged, that includes seven in Sindhupalchowk district, two in Manang and Chitwan, one each in Tanahun, Morang, Udayapur and Siraha. Five wooden bridges were swept away in Manang. 

Likewise, a total of 23 suspension bridges have been swept away in different parts of the country including 14 in Sindhupalchowk, seven in Manang. 

The access road and bridge leading to the headworks of Melamchi Drinking Water Project have been damaged. Poudel said that the repair work has already started after confirming the damage to the headworks. According to him, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport has already taken initiative to open the blocked road by constructing two bailey bridges in Sindhupalchowk. 

Forty-three small and large drinking water projects across the country have been damaged while 25 hydropower projects in different districts including Kaski, Manang and Sindhupalchok have been partially damaged. Minister Poudel said that they are yet to receive the details of total damages so far in all the provinces and districts. He also informed that they have asked the details of the damage from the concerned agencies. 

According to the government, reconstruction work has started by providing a grant of Rs 199.7 million at the rate of Rs 50,000 per family in the first installment to 3,949 families affected by last year's monsoon.