By Chitra Mijar
Sindhupalchok, Aug. 29: Since June 15, locals of Melamchi and Helambu area in Sindhupalchowk district have been living in makeshift shelters due to continuous floods. Following days of struggle amid fear of more flood, the locals have now started leaving their houses in droves to make a living elsewhere.
Flood victims from Chalisey village, Kiul, Talamarang, Chunaute bazaar, and Ganeshbagar of Helambu Rural Municipality and Simkhet, Melamchi bazaar and Dulal village of Melamchi Municipality have started heading towards the Kathmandu Valley and Banepa and other cities.

The Melamchi River swept away the land of Bhremathang hill and flooded the villages, displacing over 1,500 families in Helambu, Melamchi and Panchpokhari.
“The flood victims are now leaving for faraway cities as they have struggled here to make ends meet,” said Hasta Pandit, a local CPN-UML leader.

“Around 700 families displaced by the flood have already left for the Kathmandu Valley, Banepa and other places,” said Arun Prasad Pokhrel, Sindhupalckok chief district officer.
“The flood swept away our house and lands, leaving us with no option but to find shelter and livelihoods elsewhere,” said Subhadra Rupakheti, a resident of Chanaute who left her village for Kathmandu with her ill husband.
Like Rupakheti, Shyam Krishna Shrestha, a resident of Melamchi bazaar and a flood victim, has also decided to leave his place for the capital city.

“We are left with nothing now, as flood has destroyed everything. Now, I will have to go to Kathmandu to make a living,” said Shrestha. Around 50 flood affected families are believed to have been migrating to other places on a daily basis, as have those at risk of flood and landslide.
They have assured that they would return home if the government helped them built homes in safe places in their own areas.

“The flood victims are crying for help. We demand that the government help us rehabilitate as we have no place to call home now,” said Sagar Kumar Shrestha, one of the flood victims.
The floods in Sindhupalchok since June 15 have swept away 300 houses and families of over 1,000 houses have been displaced. Six people died while 20 others have gone missing in the floods since.