School, 180 households at high risk of landslides

By Bomlal Giri, Nawalpur, Dec 18: An old Magar settlement of Bulingtar-4, Nawalpur, has been endangered by the landslides.

180 households have been threatened due to the landslides in different directions.

A village which lies at 927 meters in height is also linked by the East-West highway.

Arkhala village, a Magar settlement, which was settled in 1918 BS, is 26 kilometres from Daldale. An attractive village that consists of 180 households is now threatened by the landslides, but no efforts have been made to reduce the risk.

The Setinag Secondary School is also at a high risk. A school that teaches 240 students should be relocated and free of the risk of landslides. 

The beautiful settlement and the school are surrounded by the landslide from three sides. 

Sundar Mani Subedi, Vice Principal said that a landslide was hit in 2019 owing to haphazard digging and wrong stomata to expand the Kaligandaki corridor. This has been creating a problem ever since. 

Subedi said that another big landslide occurred when the wall was being dug during the expansion of the road connecting the Kaligandaki corridor behind the school. The school is at risk. 

Ram Bahadur Pulami, Chairperson of the School Management Committee, said that no matter how much the risk is, the relocation is not possible because of lack of space. 

Min Bahadur Aale, ward chair of Bulingtar-4, said that no such concern on the matter is shown even though we have requested it from the higher authorities. 

A Nepali Congress leader Dr Shashank Koirala has been elected four times as a member of the House of Representatives from Constituency 4. 

Dr Shashank Koirala said that efforts are being made to control landslides. "There is a need for a big budget to stop landslides. I have talked with the Minister of Finance and Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, to build roads in a way that landslide does not fall and the village is at risk of landslide." He said.

He said that 330 million will be required for the prevention of landslides, and the prevention work will proceed after the budget is allocated.