Residents of Baijanapur in Rapti Sonari Rural Municipality, Banke district, have been trying to return to normal life after the floods receded.

The vehicular movement, obstructed after the massive flood damaged a bridge, have resumed.  The locals were seen salvaging their belongings from the destroyed houses, while students were cleaning their books and copies on Wednesday.

The Rural Municipality office was collecting the relief materials, while the newly elected representatives have been having a hard time managing the distribution of the relief.

The family of Rampati Chaudhary were in a deep slumber when Rapti River breached its banks and entered the village at 1 am on August 12. The water level had risen up to waistline by the time he woke up and rushed out with the family members.  He said the water level had reached up to the chest until his managed to reach higher ground. “Fortunately, our house collapsed as soon as we got out of the house,” she said. 

The entire settlement on the banks of Rapti was submerged after the river burst its banks. Around 800 houses have been destroyed, while hundreds of families have been displaced by the flood. Locals said that they could not salvage the crops and clothes as the flooding occurred suddenly.

People living in the settlements along the Rapti river banks said this was the first time they such such a huge scale of flooding after 1979. They said the rains were too heavy then. They accused that the flooding caused a huge damage because of the delay in opening the floodgates.

According to local Buddhi Tharu, out of 19 only four gates were kept open that led to a massive flooding in Aghaiya Bazaar. Then the locals went to picket Sikta office after which the technicians woke up and opened the gates at once that resulted in floods in the village.