बाढीपहिरो
BAGLUNG, October 3:
Sandeep Regmi, a student at Little Rose English Boarding School in Jhibakhola, Nisikhola Rural Municipality-4, Baglung, has been unable to attend school following recent flooding. Sandeep stares helplessly at the riverbed where his house once stood—a scene of destruction caused by the Nisikhola flooding on September 27. Left without a house, books, or stationery, and with his school damaged, Sandeep’s plight mirrors that of thousands of children in Baglung.
Having witnessed homes, schools, roads, and infrastructure swept away or buried by landslides, children in the district remain traumatized by the fear of rising rivers and recurring landslides. Heavy rains from September 24 to 27 affected over 1,000 children across four local levels in Baglung.
According to Yuvraj Sharma, Assistant Education Officer of Tarakhola Rural Municipality, 1,297 children have been affected by floods in Nisikhola Rural Municipality and landslides in Badigad, Tamankhola, and Tarakhola Rural Municipalities. In Tarakhola alone, landslides damaged five schools, impacting 845 students.
Sharma reported that landslides damaged physical structures of three schools in Ward No. 5 and two in Ward No. 4 of Tarakhola. At Durgabhawani Secondary School in Ward No. 5 (250 students), the science laboratory was completely buried, alongside structural damage to other facilities. Landslides also damaged Trishuli Primary School (75 students) and Lawang Primary School (45 students) in the same ward. In Ward No. 4, Yuwabarsha Primary School (55 students) and Nepal Secondary School (420 students) sustained damage. While alternative arrangements have allowed classes to resume at two of the five damaged schools, operations remain suspended at Nepal Secondary School, Lawang Primary School, and Durgabhawani Secondary School.
In Nisikhola Rural Municipality-4, 370 students at Little Rose English Boarding School in Jhibakhola have been affected. School Management Committee member Milan Hamal stated that the Nisikhola flood severely damaged the school building, making immediate operations impossible. However, efforts are underway to make alternative arrangements to resume classes soon.
In Badigad Rural Municipality, strong winds and landslides affected 70 children across two schools: Bhirkateratal Primary School in Ward No. 5 (30 students) and Kanjanadevi Primary School in Sisakhani, Ward No. 3 (40 students). Kulraj Ghimire, Head of the Education Branch of Badigad, mentioned that preparations are underway to conduct classes in local homes and community buildings as a temporary measure.
Additionally, a landslide damaged Santar Child Development Center in Ward No. 4 of Tamankhola Rural Municipality, affecting 11 children. Muna Bishwakarma, disaster management resource person for the rural municipality, stated that since the building remains at high risk of landslides, it is currently unsafe for children to return. (RSS)
