50 families at sinkhole risk, 18 displaced

POKHARA

With sinkhole formation continuing at Armala VDC in Kaski, 50 families are at risk. Eighteen families have already been displaced after their houses and land started caving in after sinkholes formed near the Majhuwa stream.

Secretary of the local natural disaster management committee, Dhan Bahadur Karki, said vehicular movement halted after the road in the area started caving in on Saturday.

Efforts to let underground water flow through a canal as per geologists’ advices have appeared to be ineffective. “We dug a three-meter deep canal to let underground water flow.

However, water did not come out as expected. Instead the canal started caving in,” said VDC secretary Ram Chandra Poudel. Geologists Lilanatlh Rimal and Kushalnandan Pokharel had submitted a preliminary report, calling on the authorities to let underground water flow in order to immediately curb the problem.

Meanwhile, Minister for Local Development Bidhyadhar Mallik and Secretary Shanta Bahadur Shrestha on Saturday inspected the affected site. After inspecting the area, Mallik said the sinkhole problem is a matter of grave concern and that he would take initiatives to resolve it. “I will put the matter in the Cabinet and seek an end to it,” he said.

Kaski Chief District Officer Yadav Prasad Koirala said efforts for the management of underground water were going on. Ekantipur