Families still struggling to cope with 2021 Melamchi floods

Sindhupalchowk, June 29: It has been two years since the devastating flood of the Melamchi River swept away everything belonging to Deep Bahadur Jyoti of Jyoti Bagar in Helambu Rural Municipality, leaving him with nothing but a family to support.

The flood on June 15 and July 31, 2021, swept away land, houses, schools, and industries in Melamchi Municipality, Helambu Rural Municipality, Panchpokhari Thangpal Rural Municipality, and Indrawati Rural Municipality.

The flood washed away 35 houses in Ganeshbagar of Sindhupalchowk alone, and Jyoti’s house was one of them. Some of the locals’ houses were buried, while others were partially buried. They are unable to reconstruct or reuse them, according to Jyoti. Jyoti, who has a family of five, is currently unemployed and has no source of income.

Jyoti mentioned that many government agencies and non-government organisations have visited the site, but none of them have provided any relief so far. However, the recent visit of Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal Prachanda to the area has given some hope to the locals, including Jyoti, that they will receive compensation soon.

“As a father of three children, I have the responsibility to send them to school, but I have nothing to do right now. I don’t have a job or a business, so I am planning to go to another country to earn a living,” said Jyoti.

Kami Tamang, 35, a resident of the area, has a family of six, including his wife and four children. Tamang expressed concern about living in temporary shelters, especially during the rainy season when there is no safe place to stay.

“There are children, and the place to stay is not very safe. It is very hot in summer and very cold in winter. We have been provided temporary accommodation, but with the rain beginning again, there is a fear of floods and landslides,” Tamang said.

Chanoute Bazaar, located in Sindhupalchowk, was one of the most popular markets after Melamchi Bazaar. Hasta Pandit, a local resident of Helambu Rural Municipality-7, mentioned that the market used to have a larger turnover in the past but was devastated by the flood. Many houses in Chanoute are empty, and the settlement has become deserted after the flood.

Pandit said, “Out of about 50 houses, 25 have been swept away, and 25 remain. Currently, no one is living in any of the houses in the area. Now we are preparing to stay there during the winter.” The locals of Jyoti Bagar are living in fear in the temporary shelter, as they might not even have a place to stay if another flood occurs. They are concerned about food and shelter shortages.

Tamang said, “Houses and trout farms are in debt. Prime Minister Prachanda visited the area on the way to the main source of drinking water last week. I would like to say that he should have made efforts to provide us with a better place to live.”

Ganeshbagar, also known as the second market in the area, was severely affected as well. Local resident Lila Bahadur stated, “Many rights activists and the media have raised their voices for this area, but so far, nothing has happened to help us.”

Hasta Pandit from Helambu Rural Municipality-7 recalled the destruction of three large trout farms, agricultural land, and all the markets in Chanoute. The Department of Irrigation is currently working on river control and clearing debris in the Melamchi Corridor. He mentioned that substantial work had been done with an investment of about Rs. 40 million by the consumer committee and construction companies in Helambu and Melamchi.

Geologist Basantaraj Adhikari, Deputy Director at the Centre for Disaster Studies of Engineering Campus Pulchwok, highlighted the lack of sufficient research and detailed study in the affected area. He warned that debris still remained in Bhemathang, and if heavy rains like those in June 2021 occurred again, there was a possibility of similar floods and landslides. He emphasized that the area was prone to natural disasters, and the locals had accepted the high level of risk in the past. He stated, “The government needs to relocate them, or there is nowhere else for them to go.”

According to Amrit Kumar Dhital, Chief Administrative Officer of Melamchi Municipality, the Melamchi flood washed away 273 houses, 1,800 ropanis of individual land, public land, motorable bridges, a suspension bridge, and a school. Four other suspension bridges were also damaged. The estimated property damage amounted to around Rs. 57 billion. The local government is taking initiatives to provide relief and rehabilitation, and 273 people have been identified as reconstruction beneficiaries, with efforts being made to rehabilitate 30 of them.

Dhital mentioned that Rs. 500,000 would be provided for reconstruction and Rs. 800,000 for restoration based on the damage assessment. Most of the beneficiaries have already received the second installment of the amount.

Helambu Rural Municipality suffered the highest human casualties, with 24 people losing their lives and two still missing. The devastation included the loss of 2,100 ropanis of land, around 20 trout farms, and 380 houses. The chairman of the rural municipality, Nima Gyaljen Hyolmo, expressed disappointment at the lack of federal government initiatives for relief and management. Local representatives submitted a memorandum during the Prime Minister’s visit in June, requesting proper attention to the Melamchi incident. However, the government has not included it in its policies and programmes despite presenting two budgets after the flood.

“The government categorized every disaster as a monsoon-related disaster, but the Melamchi disaster is different and should be addressed separately. In our memorandum, we asked the government to evaluate the loss of houses and land and provide compensation accordingly. Rs. 500,000 alone is not enough to buy land and build a house,” said Hyolmo.

Jhamka Nath Nepal, chairman of Indrawati Rural Municipality, stated that a significant amount of arable land was swept away in their area, around 30 hectares from seven different locations. The local government, with support from the federal government, is constructing embankments along the Melamchi riverbank to protect against further damage during the season.

Narayan Chhetri, Information Officer of Panchpokhari Thangpal Rural Municipality and the disaster focal person, reported that the flood destroyed 184 houses in the rural municipality. Out of these, 42 families are in the process of securing permanent settlements, 55 people are purchasing land, while the rest are facing difficulties in acquiring land. 

So far, each victim has received Rs. 50,000 as relief in the first instalment.