After the authorities failed to reach the affected areas, hundreds of victims have started abandoning their settlements.

The displaced, moreover, have fallen to viral fever and diarrhoea in the flood hit areas of Surkhet and Bardiya, Banke.

Locals in Holiya and Banke, five days after the disaster, left their villages after giving up hopes of being rehabilitated. About 300 among the 500 displaced in the village sailed across the Rapti river in search of food and shelter.

“We were in dire condition for five days hoping for rescue and relief. We had no option but to leave before starving ourselves to death,” said a victim, Gangalal Yadav.

According to reports, rescue choppers twice dropped food stuffs in the settlement. Victims, however, said that most of the food dropped straight into the water.

When the victims were compelled to share whatever food they had, most of the elderly, children and women did not get their share.

The situation is no different in Surkhet and Bardiya. The victims of Lekhparajul-1 in Surkhet had no option but to head towards the district headquarters in search of food and shelter as the local administration were indifferent to the situation.

“Nobody has come here for help. I will have to go to Birendranagar and inform the authorities,” said Ram Bahadur Sarki of Lekhparajul-1.

District Police Office in Surkhet, however, claimed they have been rescuing and providing relief to victims on priority basis.

Around 200 victims ill

Several flood-hit areas in Banke are under the grip of viral fever and diarrhoea. More than 200 victims are suffering from viral fever, diarrhoea, common cold and conjunctivitis in places like Holiya, Bankatti, Matehiya and Gangapur. Ram Bahadur Chand, focal person at District Public Health Office, said that about 150 people are suffering from viral fever in Holiya and Udharapur.

3 more bodies recovered

The rescuers found three more bodies in Bardiya district on Monday. With this, the toll reached to 21 in the district.

According to the local administration, 15 people are still missing and 18,200 people have been displaced due to the floods.

Highway obstruction

The floods destroyed Nepalgunj-Baghauda and Bhurigaun-Gulariya-Murtiha sections of the Postal Highway. A seven km road was swept, disconnecting the southern villages. Meanwhile, authorities have initiated to open the Banke-Bardiya section of the East-West Highway. The Division Road Office opened a diversion track from Monday.