Madhesh Province declared disaster-crisis zone

The government on Wednesday declared Madhesh Province a ‘disaster-crisis zone’ following the prolonged drought in all eight districts of the province.  

The Ministry of Home Affairs proposed the decision at yesterday’s cabinet, following the provincial government’s recommendation on July 22.

The decision, prompted by a continued lack of rainfall in the province, falls under Section 32(1) of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, 2017—which allows the government to declare any area a disaster-threatening zone by publishing a notice in the Nepal Gazette, specifying its boundaries and the duration of the declaration.   

Midway through the monsoon, all 136 local levels across the province, including the worst-hit Birgunj, are facing acute water scarcity. While the southern plains have seen no rainfall, the country has been facing some serious monsoon-led disasters in other parts, killing over 20 people since its onset.  

Earlier on July 10, the provincial government declared Madhesh a drought-hit zone, with persistent dry conditions and the central plains receiving just 12% of the expected rainfall. With the most fertile landmass, the rice capital of the country has experienced a dramatic slowdown this monsoon. By July 20, not even half of paddy transplantation was completed in the province’s 372,465 hectares of arable land (only 46.83% is completed).                

To address the water crisis, the Madhesh government had earlier launched an emergency operation to supply drinking water to affected communities by deploying eight fire engines, each with a 5,000 liters water capacity, to distribute water across hard-hit districts such as Bara and Parsa. Likewise, in Birgunj, the city government and nearby local levels and the provincial government are supplying water through fire trucks and tankers, with active drilling of new deep-boring systems across all wards as an immediate measure. The efforts, however, were rendered moot.

In response to the current crisis, Prime Minister KP Oli, at the House of Representatives meeting on July 23, stated that both immediate and long-term solutions would be sought to resolve the water crisis in Madhesh Province.

He reiterated that declaring the province a disaster-affected zone would open the door for the government to take swift actions, including mobilising the budget and easing the procurement process.