June 29:  Heavy rainfall on Tuesday flooded 200 industries in the Sunsari-Morang Industrial Corridor. Although the flood water has not caused much damage yet, production has come to a halt. According to Chudamani Bhattarai, director general of the Industry Association Morang, production has been affected due to inundation of around 200 industries in Budhi Ganga and Katahari rural municipalities.

Industries in the Budhi Ganga Rural Municipality and its nearby areas get inundated every year

due to the lack of drainage while constructing a 6-lane road in the area.

Meanwhile, retaining walls set up on both sides of an under-construction road in Katahari Rural Municipality has prevented the rainwater from flowing into the river and has instead entered into the industries.

Bhattarai said that the industries that had lost millions of rupees due to the unseasonal floods last October are facing floods again.

Even though the water inside the industry did not cause much damage, more than 200 industries did not come into operation due to problems power circuit and lack of proper working condition.

It is said that the flood of October had caused damages worth Rs 2.46 billion to 300 industries. Bhattarai said that no concrete steps have been taken to control the floods even after informing the concerned bodies of the government.

Meanwhile, 40 families have been displaced in Biratnagar and the victims have been shifted to safer places after the flood waters entered various settlements. Likewise, twenty-five households have been displaced due to the flooding of Singhiya Khola in Hatkhola of Biratnagar Metropolitan City-8. Fifteen families of Ward No. 2 have been displaced due to the same reason. Morang Police Spokesperson DSP Deepak Shrestha informed that 60 households have been displaced in Khartol of Katahari Rural Municipality-1. Eight families have been displaced in Belbari-6 due to the floods of Kharkhola.

According to the police, the emergency room of Birat Teaching Hospital at Budhiganga-2 has been closed due to flooding. A body of a man was found in Gachhiya river on Tuesday morning. Due to the rain on Monday night, the water levels in rivers of Jhapa, Sunsari and Morang rivers have risen and the settlements have been inundated.

The local administration has decided to shut down schools in Biratnagar for three days as there is no place to keep the people displaced by the floods. Chief of the Biratnagar Metropolitan City Nagesh Koirala informed that the decision was taken at an emergency meeting due to lack of space for the displaced.

"Many people have been displaced by the floods and there is no place to keep them," Koirala said. "We have decided to give them three days off from school to accommodate the victims."