China helps flood victims in Nepal

JANAKPUR, Nepal — When Laxmi Devi Mahara arrived at the Dhanusa Dham municipality office after walking on foot from her village in Sarsarampur, she found herself seated among mainly women as most of the men from the village were either working in neighboring India or in Gulf countries.

Along with her fellow neighbors, she had to wait with her colorful identification card for around two hours for the formal program to begin. When her name was called to receive the flood relief package, she couldn’t hide her elation.

Dressed in a red-patterned sari with her head covered, as is the local tradition, Mahara’s face shone after receiving two cartons containing nonfood items like shawls, blankets, cooking utensils, an insecticide-treated bed net, a clean cooking stove, a water filter and hygiene kits.

Mahara is just one of the many recipients of relief packages distributed under the Chinese post-flood recovery assistance provided to Nepal’s southern plain known as the Terai region, which was affected by one of the worst monsoon floods August.

“My mud house collapsed after the flood and all the food items and furniture were damaged. We didn’t get much support from our government and were facing a tough time. Amid such a crisis, getting this relief package is a miracle, I am very happy and thankful to China,” Mahara said.

A mother of four children, Mahara doesn’t even know her own age. Her home district Dhanusa, some 200 kilometers away from the capital city of Kathmandu, is often recognized for illiteracy and the tradition of early marriage. in history

Assistance plan

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Mahara is the sole breadwinner for her family, working in fields with other villagers. Her husband is disabled and has to stay at home.

The relief packages that Mahara and scores of others received are part of China’s $4 million assistance plan to support recovery efforts in the country’s southern plains, which are vulnerable to floods.

The assistance has been provided under the framework of the China South-South Cooperation Assistance Fund.

Before that, the Chinese government provided $1 million grant assistance to Nepal for disaster relief during the visit of Chinese Vice-Premier Wang Yang in August.

The support has reached more than 31,800 households in seven districts.

A post-flood assessment conducted by the government of Nepal found that 1.7 million people were affected by the disaster.

The record rainfall resulted in widespread flooding and claimed the lives of 160 people. More than 40,000 houses were destroyed and 192,000 homes were partially destroyed. The disaster resulted in 21,000 families being displaced.

“As a close neighbor, China can feel the difficulties of Nepal and the Nepali people. I hope the relief packages could be a little help to the flood-affected families to overcome the tough time and with their recovery,” Yu Hong, Chinese ambassador to Nepal, said after distributing the materials to locals in the Dhanusa and Mahottari districts.

The distribution program has covered 3,400 households in the Dhanusa district while 5,000 households in the Mahottari district await identification and verification by the newly-elected local government authorities.

The program has been in operation in close coordination with Nepal’s Flood Reconstruction and Rehabilitation Project under the National Reconstruction Authority and implemented by UNDP Nepal.