NEPAL FLOOD DISASTER, July 2002

Nepal experienced its worst natural disaster due to floods and landslides in several decades when monsoon rains came pouring down in July.The heavy rains have caused havoc in many parts of the country. The peak water level was the highest in many rivers, even higher than the designed water level, causing destruction of barrages, roads, bridges, embarkments, etc. From Kathmandu right through to other vast areas in Terai  Plain, many people's lives and villages were badly affected. Some lost their land while others' family members. Thousands are now rendered homeless, their houses destroyed by the twisted power of nature. 

Suvecha Pant

In view of the frequency and perennial nature of disasters in Nepal, the seriousness of the impact of disasters  on its social and economic development in not less than that of any other disaster prone country. These natural disasters have profound impacts on environment and development.

The United Nations Resolution on IDNDR (International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction – 1990-2000) says, in particular, that the effect of natural disasters may severely damage the fragile economic infrastructure of developing countries, especially the least developed landlocked and island counties, and thus hamper their development. Nepal, one of such countries, suffers greatly from natural disasters. Thus, Nepal really merits the positive support of the international community, in the spirit of IDNDR.

Nepal experienced its worst natural disaster due to floods and landslides in several decades when monsoon rains came pouring down in July. Heavy rains have continued intermittently from July through to August. The heavy rains have caused havoc in many parts of the country. The peak water level was the highest in many rivers, even higher than the designed water level, causing destruction of barrages, roads, bridges, embarkments, etc. From Kathmandu right through to other vast areas in Terai Plain, many people lives and villages were badly affected. Some lost their land while others family members. Thousands are now homeless, their houses destroyed by the twisted power of nature.

The heavy monsoon rains accompanied by floods and landslides that occurred in the last few weeks have killed 435 people and have affected 270,627 people. Experts today said that this is the greatest disaster that occurred after the 1950’s. The Statistical Disaster Situation Report, prepared by the Nepal Red Cross Society during the period of July 15–August 12 states that the disaster has left more than 32,000 people homeless.

However, the report also underlines the fate of hundreds whose whereabouts are unknown as yet. The Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) estimates that about 173 are still missing. The flood and landslide has affected families in 47 districts of Nepal and NRCS expressed regret that not all the remote and forlorn districts could be reached for relief works and aid packages. In Gorkha, Myagdi, Tanahu, Gulmi, Dailekh, Sankhuwasava, Solukhumbu, Dolakha and Jajarkot the relief materials could not be delivered.

The NRCS, battling the flood and natural disaster said it needs at least 1.77 million dollars more to assist 130,000 people with critical need for food, shelter, blankets, clothing and water purifiers. It further said that if timely action is not taken many people will suffer from malnutrition and will likely be infested with water-borne diseases (amoeba, giardiasis, diarrhea, cholera, typhoid, etc) and malaria.

Officials of the NRCS said that the appeal will provide equipment for NRCS volunteers to continue assessment and rescue missions for this and future disasters as well as building materials to 200 of the most vulnerable homeless families in the mountainous regions. so far 41,000 families have been affected in over 47 districts. District-wise, the death toll has been recorded highest in Makwanpur with 130 people dead, 50 people in Khotang, 46 in Kathmandu, followed by Taplejung, Chitwan and Kavre.

Many villages in mountain areas were seriously damaged by debris flows and landslides. Makwanpur District is on the most affected districts in Nepal. In Sarlahi District, floods rushed into the district both from the Bagmati in the west and from the main irrigation canal in the north, mainly following old river courses. With no effective prevention works, floods could easily penetrate far into the district. Even if the people had been warned, the casualties might not be much less in such a flat land with no places for evacuation. As a detail of the huge economic loss due to recent floods is collected, it is clear that most of Nepal’s development money will be diverted to reconstruction and rehabilitation.

Lessons we have learnt from the recent floods are:

(1) A lot of people who died were living in flood prone areas with no protection. Rural villages were hit by very high-velocity water, debris flows and landslides causing damage to livestock, crops and property. Identification of high risk regions (flood risk maps) and dissemination of information to the public (awareness campaigns) are necessary.

(2) Most people died in the down-stream areas of major rivers. They had not been aware of the danger because rain was heavy upstream but light downstream. Improved flood forecasting, monitoring and warning system are a necessity.

(3) Massive landslides and erosions caused major destructive damages to infrastructure. Observation network, data management, soil management and watershed management systems should be given more attention. Preventive measures including better structural engineering practices (major civil works, disaster-resistance buildings, dams, embarkments, etc) and non-structural policy interventions (local and national planning including land-use) help a lot in terms of reducing loss of life, and damage to physical property and infrastructures.

(4) After the onslaught of flood, affected areas lacked early intervention measures, rapid response strategy, and rapid recovery process. Swift coordinated effort between governmental and non-governmental organisations is necessary to modify, alter, suppress or to mitigate the damaging effects of natural disaster depending on their nature and locations. Deficient communication links resulted in delay of relief operation. The communication network should be expanded to cover up to the village level.

(5) There should be an effective and successful national plan to cover all aspects of disaster management.

The July disaster was an unprecedented one in Nepal. No one has ever seen such a devastation nor had been involved in such a massive relief operation. Under concerted efforts from the government agencies, non-governmental organisations and local people and with the generous assistance from the international community, the emergency phase is being initiated and recovery should be underway soon.

The reconstruction phase will be soon started but Nepal being a small country with limited resources, the social and economic development will be greatly hampered and a set back inevitable, especially without substantial assistance from foreign donors.

The recent floods have high-lighted the urgent need for reconstruction and rehabilitation of the displaced people. There should be a continuous and consistent effort on this, based on present experiences and lessons.

JANAI POORNIMA
festival of sacred threads

Though janai is strictly worn next to the skin hanging on left shoulder by high-caste Hindus like Brahmans and Chhetriyas after their upanayan, a ceremony formally wearing janai from family priest, but raksha bandhan is worn by all people irrespective of castes and creeds.

Ram Sharan Sedhai

Thousands of devout Hindus thronged nearby Mahadev or Lord Shiva temples across the kingdom and the sacred pond of Gosainkunda Thursday to receive particularly raksha bandhan, amulets, and janai, sacred thread, from priests and to worship Lord Shiva on the occasion of Janai Poornima.

Janai Poornima, as the name suggests, is an occasion related with janai and raksha bandhan also, which occurs on the full moon day of August and this year it took place on 22 August.

The temple of Lord Pashupatinath in Kathmandu and the temple of Kumbheshwor Mahadev in Patan drew a large number of devotees from around the valley this year like in the past.

The tagadharis, a Sanskrit term for janai wearers, take an early bath, put on fresh clothes and go on fasting until they change janai and put on raksha bandhan on this day. People from other than Brahmin and Chhetriya communities also eat purely vegetarian foods that include kwanti, boiled soup of sprouted seeds of legume family.

Those people who cannot make to those three holiest pilgrimages on the day of Janai Poornima aka Rishitarpani satisfy themselves by paying a visit to Shiva temples in their vicinity.

Staunch followers of Hinduism from across the country make a pilgrimage to the pious lake known as Gosainkunda about 25 miles north of Kathmandu to take a holy dip in the sacred waters and perform pujas to Lord Shiva on this day. Legend has it that Lord Shiva created the beautiful pond situated at an elevation of around 16,000 feet.

It is believed that bathers see an image of Lord Shiva in reclining position and his trident and urn while taking a dip in the cold water of the pond.

It’s a long and tiring journey to Gosainkunda. Many people suffer from high altitude sickness and leeches also trouble the pilgrims being it a rainy season, as they have to trek for days to reach to the holy site.

It is said that long ago a devotee dropped his brass water pot while bathing in Gosainkunda and it disappeared. Sometimes later, to his utter surprise, the pot appeared in the pond of Kumbheshwor temple in Patan. People believe that the water in the Kumbheshwor temple comes from Gosainkunda and the myth is further buttressed by the fact that the water is colder than water from other places of the valley.

And this belief has given rise to the number of devotees visiting Kumbheshwor temple on the day of Janai Poornima, which is also called Kwanti Purne in the parlance of the majority of the people.

The celebration of Janai Poornima is also taken as a harbinger of cold days, as people believe that pilgrims bring cold with them upon their return from Gosainkunda. Pilgrimage to Gosainkunda on this occasion is very popular among the Hindus and lately other tourists have also begun visiting the lake during this season.

The janai and raksha bandhan are sanctified through prolonged religious performance amid intonation of Vedic hymns by priests, before they are offered to wearers. The sacred threads are generally dyed in yellow colour.

Though janai is strictly worn next to their skin hanging on left shoulder by high-caste Hindus like Brahmans and Chhetriyas after their upanayan, a ceremony formally wearing janai from family priest, but raksha bandhan is worn by all people irrespective of castes and creeds.

Family priests are seen busy with putting raksha bandhan on their yajaman, a sort of clients, from early morning visiting their homes. They offer janai and amulets and read out blessings in Sanskrit stating that the thread is akin to that worn by Bali, the king of Danavas or demons and would protect the wearers from all evils. The priests are given away money and sidha, an offering of rice, in turn.

Janai purne, as spoken by the majority of the people, is an annual occasion of changing janai until and unless it becomes frayed or defiled. If the wearers of janai touch women in their period or nursing mothers prior to the christening ceremony of their babies or perform the annual ritual in memory of dead ancestors or join funeral procession, the holy thread is considered defiled and must be changed.

Earlier, the wearers of janai used to change it if they touched the untouchables, but with the amendment to the Civil Code that deals with social hierarchy and with growing awareness among the people the practice has almost died, except for in some remote villages.

It is believed that wearing janai helps one to gain control over his speech, mind and body and the upanayan takes place among the Brahmins and Chhetriya male children between the age of 8 to 12, but lately the practice of wearing janai after attaining the age of last teens and 20s has emerged.

Similarly, it is believed that wearing amulets brings good luck and wards off evils throughout the year. Men wear it on their right wrists and women on the left. The amulets are removed on Laxmi Puja, during Tihar, the Festival of Lights, and are tied to the tails of cows in the belief that the cows help the wearers wade through Baitarni River after their death to heaven.

The amulets are received either from priests or from the sons of one’s sisters and in some cases from the husbands of ones daughters. So people visit their relations with amulets and they in turn receive tika and dakshina, an amount of money offered during putting tika, from their elders.

Their Majesties the King and Queen also receive amulets from bada gurujyu, the chief priest to the royal family, at an auspicious hour amid chanting of Vedic hymns. Likewise other members of the royal family also receive raksha bandhan from the chief priest on the occasion.

As mentioned above, the Newar community in particular celebrates this poornima as Kwanti purne. On this day they eat the gruel of sprouted seeds of legumes.

Nine varieties of bean seeds are drenched in water days before the arrival of the festival to ensure better germination.

It is believed that the kwanti sooths mainly water-borne intestinal ailments developed during the hot rainy days as the sources of drinking water become polluted.

People also offer foods to frogs on this day in respect of their good deed.

They mostly put rice on leaf plates in their fields. According to legends, frogs had helped men in killing a demon who tried to finish all the people of the Kathmandu valley a day before Janai Poornima many many long ago.

On this day, Terai people of Indian origin and other communities influenced by Indian culture celebrate the occasion as a day of Rakhi. Sisters put rakhi, an elaborated form of raksha bandhan on the wrists of their brothers and bless them. Brothers in return offer gifts to their sisters. It is similar to the Nepalese tradition of worshipping brothers during Tihar.

Crown Prince PARAS while in Chitwan

By Manish Gautam

His Royal Highness Crown Prince Paras Bir Bikram Shah Dev had made an on-the-spot visit to have a first-hand information about the people who are severely affected by recent floods occurred in Chitwan. The local people themselves briefed Crown Prince on his two days visit to flood affected areas about the problems that they are facing. Flood has severely damaged human life, infrastructures and bio-diversity of the area.

As the Chairman of the King Mahendra Trust for Conservation (KMTNC) Crown Prince ‘s two days field trip to flood affected areas in Chitwan was his first informal visit out of Kathmandu valley . He made lively interaction with local communities ; listened to their problems very attentively.

"I have acknowledged the problems faced by the people here," Crown Prince told the people and assured them of adequate efforts for solution of the problems earliest.

He met the people of Jagatpur - one of the worst hit area adjoining to the national park affected by the flood and assured them that necessary measures would be taken to mitigate their problems. HRH Crown Prince also listened to the people’s grief and what all they wanted from the government.

He spent time observing the damage caused by flood in the national park area and was briefed by park officials about the extent of threats that the flora and fauna were facing. More than 500 hectares of the grassland and trees in over 50 hectares of land have been eroded during the recent floods.

KMTNC is involved in conservation of biological resources. Creation of east-west corridor parallel to the park in eastern buffer zone and conservation of Barandabhar forest which is the only corridor to connect RCNP with the Mahabharat hill ecosystem are two major initiatives of the trust in Chitwan . The Barandabhar forest is not only important as habitat for spill over wildlife population from the park but also migratory route of several important migratory species. , Besides, income generation program, research, training and community development programs are being conducted to increase awareness and improve local economy. These activities ultimately make people less dependent on the resources from the forest and also generate local guardainship making conservation sustainable.

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