Nepal Writes to India Over Mahakali Border Construction
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WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXIX No. 122 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 33.2 C 12.2 C Sunday, June 20, 2021 | 06-03-2078 Bhairahawa Jomsom Nepal writes to India over Mahakali border construction In a diplomatic note, it calls for a joint inspection to assess the damage caused by blasts carried out on the Indian side but observers say India may not respond. ANIL GIRI was little progress,” said a Home KATHMANDU, JUNE 19 Ministry official. Indian officials in the past have Amid growing reports of India contin- heard Nepal’s concerns but have not uing to build a road across the always acted on them. Mahakali river and causing damage “After India constructed an embank- to a Nepali road in the process, the KP ment on the river in its territory, both Sharma Oli government has finally sides had agreed in February to form written to the southern neighbour. a joint inspection team of technical The construction of a road to the experts this year but the team could Manasarovar region in the Tibet not make much progress,” said a sen- Autonomous region of China through ior Nepali government official. “We a mountain terrain has entailed blast- have now urged India to revive the ing of rocks, thereby depositing debris same technical team to inspect this into the river that marks the border new incident in the Mahakali river.” between Nepal and India. According to a report in Kantipur, a This has caused difficulties for sister publication of the Post, during a Nepali citizens. blast carried out on June 8 in the “After the local administration Pithoragarh area for road extension, office in Darchula wrote a letter to over 150 meters of pedestrian road on the Ministry of Home Affairs last the Nepali side was damaged. week to take up the matter with India Chief District Officer of Darchula to stop the blasting activities and to Siddha Raj Joshi said he had taken up clean up the debris in the Mahakali the matter with the Ministry of Home river, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Affairs and also written to Anand has written to the government of Swarup, the District Magistrate of India through the Indian Embassy in Pithoragarh, Uttarakhand, India. POST PHOTO: ANISH REGMI Kathmandu,” a Foreign Ministry “India has been building the road A boy dives into the water as a fellow swimmer rests on a rock at a stream near Kirtipur in the Capital on Saturday. official told the Post on condition of that will reach Manasarovar, Tibet, anonymity. via Lipulekh for the last one decade. The sending of a diplomatic note to But this year, due to a series of blasts, India has come after the Ministry of heavy rocks and stones have fallen Home Affairs had raised its concerns into the Mahakali along a two kilo- Even after high positivity rates in some more than once in the past one year. metre stretch of the river,” Joshi told INSIDE “At least four different activities the Post over the phone. “Therefore, have taken place across the the local road on our side has been Mahakali river in the last one year affected. After our road was blocked Riverside settlements at risk of districts, testing has not been ramped up and we have been voicing concerns we had to build an alternative road.” being inundated by Tamakoshi with the Foreign Ministry but there >> Continued on page 2 DOLAKHA: The settlements along the Tamakoshi river in Dolakha district In a first during the second wave, Kathmandu does not are at risk of flooding, as landslides near the Nepal-China border on record most infections on a single day, raising fears Friday blocked the Rongsi stream, a tributary of the Tamakoshi river. that the virus could be spreading more elsewhere. Several landslides have occurred near border pillars 60 and 61 at Lapchi that borders China’s Tingri county. The District Administration Office in Dolakha said efforts are underway to open the dammed up stream and avert any untoward incident. “A team from China has reached the incident site and is working to release the water,” said Chief District Officer Bashudev Ghimire. “We have been informed that the Chinese team is working to remove the landslide debris and let the stream flow naturally. But we are not sure if it is possible.” (Details on Pg 2) Displaced families refuse Covid tests fearing separation KATHMANDU: On Friday, the Primary Health Centre, Melamchi had planned to perform 600 antigen tests on the flood victims sheltering at the camps for the displaced at various places of the municipality. However, only five POST PHOTO people agreed to undergo testing. A health worker collects samples for coronavirus testing in Tansen, Palpa last week. “Most of the victim families, who are still in shock from the devastation ARJUN POUDEL and 7,010 were reported on Saturday. caused by the floods, refused to KATHMANDU, JUNE 19 “When we increase testing, the undergo tests,” Gyanendra number of infected people also Ghorasaini, chief of the Primary On Saturday, Nepal reported 1,688 new increases,” said Karki. “High number Health Center, Melamchi, told the coronavirus infections, the second of positivity in certain districts means Post over the phone. “They fear they lowest one day figure since April 20. people are still getting infected and would be separated from their family On Tuesday, June 15 1,681 new infec- the virus has been spreading in com- members in the event of testing posi- tions were reported. munities.” tive for Covid-19.” Tests are not being But on Saturday, for the first time According to data from the performed in any of the camps for during the ongoing second wave of the Ministry of Health and Population, the displaced at Melamchi and pandemic that began in mid-April, a between June 16 and 19, a total of 1,703 Helambu, the two local units most district other than Kathmandu report- polymerase chain reaction tests affected by Tuesday’s floods, despite ed the highest number of cases on a were conducted at Dhaulagiri Hospital the high risk of Covid-19 outbreaks in single day. in Baglung. Of these 964 returned pos- such camps. (Details on Pg 3) While 201 new cases were reported itive, a positivity rate of almost 57 in Kathmandu on Saturday, the figure percent. was 225 for Baglung. Government data shows that there Confusion over ‘essential items’ “We cannot reach a conclusion that were no tests conducted at the hospital there has been a decline in new cases on the days preceding June 16. hits online sellers’ business all over the country on the basis of The positivity rate for the whole KATHMANDU: The government has lift- the report of the polymerase chain country for these four days in contrast ed restrictions on online deliveries of reaction tests alone,” Dr Achyut Raj was 24 percent. The test positivity rate essential items, but internet sellers Karki, the Covid-19 focal person at Bir has been high in other hospitals say confusion prevails because of Hospital, told the Post. across the country too. what “essential items” is supposed to From a high of 9,317 cases on May Of the 1,133 polymerase chain reac- mean. From Sunday, after more than 11, the daily number of total cases in tion tests performed at Trishuli one and a half months since the lock- the country have been coming down Hospital from June 13 to 19, 502 people down began, merchants have been gradually. tested positive for the coronavirus—a allowed to make home deliveries till 7 But this is also because the number test positivity rate of over 44 percent. pm. Authorities relaxed online deliv- of tests are coming down, according to The national test positivity during ery and takeaway service rules fol- doctors. From 22,353 PCR tests on May the same period was 24 percent. lowing pressure from consumers and 21, test numbers have been declining Swab samples tested at Trishuli e-commerce entrepreneurs, but they Hospital are collected from did not issue clear guidelines, keep- Nuwakot, Rasuwa and Dhading ing the public confounded. Amun districts, meaning that the num- Thapa, founder of online store ber of infections continues to Evolution Trading Pvt. Ltd. Sastodeal, said that the government increase in these districts. in its latest prohibitory orders had “All the intensive care unit Evo Beverages Pvt. Ltd. not said anything about the kind of beds, high dependency unit beds e-commerce platforms which are and ventilators have been occu- allowed to operate. “It has also not pied by the seriously ailing Eco-Infinity Pvt. Ltd. mentioned the type of delivery vehi- patients,” Dr Kripa Maharjan, cles or commuter permit to deliver Covid-19 focal person at Trishuli goods. We were expecting a clear Hospital, told the Post, over the guideline for operation from the phone from Nuwakot. government. (Details on Pg 5) >> Continued on page 2 C M Y K SUNDAY, JUNE 20, 2021 | 02 NATIONAL Even after high positivity Tamakoshi riverside settlements at risk rates in some districts of inundation as tributary is dammed up testing has not been ... Ramechhap and Sindhuli district administrations also alert people living close to the river against possible floods. >> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1 Hospital told the Post. “We must detect KEDAR SHIWAKOTI “I don’t know how the national pos- active cases and for this sample DOLAKHA, JUNE 19 itivity rate has declined, but in the collection should be ramped up in three districts, two of which border communities.” The settlements along the Tamakoshi the Capital, the positivity rates are According to Das, for the restrictive river in Dolakha district are at risk of still very high.” measures to be loosened up the case flooding, as landslides near the Nepal- The hospital has 12 intensive care positivity rate should be brought China border on Friday blocked the unit beds, eight high dependency unit down to less than five percent.