Incessant rainfall since Thursday night has increased the ferocity of the Ratu river in Mahottari district leading to inundation and floods in several settlements across the district.

As of Friday noon, around 900 houses have been inundated in Tilgadh settlement by floodwaters from the river, according to the District Disaster Management Committee.

The settlement in Balwa Municipality-4 is one of the most affected areas by floods every year.

The flooded Ratu river inundated 900 houses in Ward No. 4 of Balwal Municipality. Laxman Mandal, a local resident of Balawa, said, “The embankment of the river was in a dilapidated condition. The rain-swollen river breached the embankment and entered the settlement.”

Chief District Officer of Mahottari, Tirtha Raj Bhattarai, who is also the Chief of the District Disaster Management Committee, said that security forces have been mobilised to rescue and relocate those at risk in the flooded Tilgadh settlement.

“Security personnel from Nepal Police, Armed Police Force and Nepal Army have been actively working towards rescuing and providing relief in flood-hit areas,” said Bhattarai.

According to Bhattarai, various outlets are being created to drain off the floodwaters from the settlement to mitigate the risk of further inundation.

The floodwaters from the Ratu river has also started seeping into the paddy fields near the river at Bardibas-3.

According to Dormani Poudel, a local farmer, he has lost 10 katthas of his paddy fields to erosion since yesterday.

Bhattarai has urged the locals to stay alert and move to safety as the river is also expected to inundate Jaleswar and other parts of the district if the rains continue.

The Ratu river has been causing damage to many settlements in Jaleswar, Balwa, Bardibas, Orahi and other municipalities of the district every year.