Cabinet declares Madhesh Province crisis-ridden zone

Kathmandu – All eight districts in Madhesh Province have been declared crisis-ridden zones. A meeting of the Council of Ministers, based on a proposal by Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, made this decision today. Earlier, the government had proposed to declare the districts in the Terai/Madhesh region as crisis-ridden, taking into account the insufficient groundwater recharge caused by drought and the depletion of water resources due to unchecked encroachment upon and exploitation of the Chure region, leading to a severe shortage of drinking water. The proposal also cited that depleting water levels in rivers and canals have adversely affected the irrigation system in Madhesh.

On Tuesday, the Madhesh Province government had decided to recommend the federal government that the province be declared a crisis-hit region, a move supported by the Ministry of Home Affairs. Clause 14(2) of the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act, 2074 BS, requires the Province Disaster Management Committee to recommend to the Government of Nepal if there arises a situation, warranting the declaration of a disaster-risk condition in the affected area. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, the proposal was submitted to the Federal Council of Ministers to name the entire Madhesh Province a disaster-affected area for a period of three months from the date the notice is published in the Nepal Gazette.

As per official data from the Madhesh Province government, rice plantation has been possible only in 46 percent of the total arable land in the province. Since the domestic agricultural system is largely dependent on rain-fed farming, the prolonged drought in Madhesh, a major hub for rice production is likely to reduce yields this season. On the other hand, the depleting water table in the region has caused a crisis of drinking water in several places.