Nepal min directs officials to start preparing for talks with India over inundation issues
Nepal Water Minister Barshaman Pun has instructed his officials to make arrangements to start talks with the Indian side on flood issues.
- World News
- 3 min read
In order to resolve the inundation problem faced by India and Nepal, the latter's Water Minister Barshaman Pun has instructed his officials to make arrangements to start talks with the Indian side. Both countries have been facing the inundation problem during monsoon season in which hundreds of people lost lives in the past. The Terai region in the south, of the Himalayan Nation, particularly has been facing serious inundation problems in the last few days in the wake of incessant rainfall.
In a meeting held on Friday, Pun has directed officials to prepare for the 'Nepal-India Joint Committee on Inundation and Flood Management' (JCIFM) where the issue of flooding will be raised.
"Due to the inundation, the Terai region is facing a problem. We would need to call on Indian sides to resolve on the problem created by the dams constructed on their side by calling on the meeting of JCIFM. Start preparations for it," the Minister said.
The annual JCIFM meeting between the two countries is usually conducted in the month of November. However, this year the Nepal Ministry has started on preparations to inform the Indian side with immediate effect after receiving a direct order from the Minister. The Joint Commission formed by India and Nepal to discuss on the issue will be led by Director General of Nepal's Irrigation Department Madhukar Prasad Rajbhandari.
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"Annual meeting is held in the month of November but this time we have got the direct order from Minister so we will be informing the Indian side with immediate effect," Secretary at the ministry, Rabindrathan Shrestha said.
Nepal blames India for inundation in Terai region
Earlier this week, Nepal's Minister for Home Affairs had blamed India for the inundation of Terai region during the annual monsoon season. Nepal's Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa further blamed India for constructing structures along the border, which he claimed blocked the flow of water and resulted in the inundation of various places of the country. Thapa had also informed about some diplomatic steps undertaken by the Nepal government in order to solve the issue but said it did not work out well. "Agreements over it were signed at the time of Indian Prime Minister's visit to Nepal but all of them are yet to be implemented," he said.
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Meanwhile, the Bihar Water Resources Minister had said last month that Nepal had stopped all repair work of river embankments in Bihar on the India-Nepal border by erecting barriers and effectively putting a stop to work done by India to prevent flooding of its low-lying areas.
Nepal flood situation
The flooding in Nepal has killed at least 60 people and 41 people have been reported as missing in floods and landslides situation over the last four days in various parts of the country. With 27 deaths Myagdi in Western Nepal becomes the worst affected district.
(With inputs from ANI)