Sleepless nights for residents near Hewa and Tamor Rivers

By Radha Luitel,Phidim, July 7: Laxmimaya Thapa of Phidim Municipality-4 has not been able to sleep for a month. The moment the weather changes and thunder roars, her sleep evaoprates, and the chaos caused by the flood in Hewa Khola on June 17, 2023, spins in her mind.

"On Asar 2nd last year, it was sunny in this area until the afternoon. No one thought it would rain heavily all of a sudden. Torrential rains started at midnight, and the flash floods occurred. The flood claimed the lives of Dilkumar Tamang and Sanjog Lowa, who worked at the nearby Mountain Hydro, and Rajkumar Rai, who made his living by crushing stones by the Hewa riverbank. When the sky thunders, I fear that the same day might repeat," Thapa said.

The flood washed away the ripe corn, paddy fields, and hundreds of tractors ready for sale from Thapa's field. It has been a year since the flood, and no relief or compensation has come from anywhere. “Now it is again the rainy season, and I wonder what will happen this time,” she wondered.

Resham Katuwal, who was farming near the Hewa riverbank, lost his house to the flood that night. The ripe corn, the soon-to-be-harvested winter paddy, and the fields all turned into barren lands. Katuwal, who became homeless due to the flood, has been living in a rented house in Thapatar.

The flood also washed away the Hewa river bridge on the Mechi Highway connecting Phidim and Bharpa. After the bridge was washed away, ministers, MPs, and government officials who visited Hewa River promised ample compensation and relief. 

“Although some relief came from the municipality and a few non-governmental organisations, nothing was received from the District Administration Office and other government bodies. The state's promises were empty, and now there's no hope left,” Katuwal said.

The areas touched by the Hewa and Tamor riverbanks, including Yangwarak and Falelung rural municipalities in Panchthar, as well as most of the locations in Phidim and Hilihang, are at risk of floods and landslides. Annually, large and small floods and landslides cause significant damage to life and property.

Sangita Bharati from Hewa riverbank said she lived in constant fear of a flood like last year's with the onset of the monsoon. “Last year's flood buried our house, washed away the Majhi settlement and caused our neighbours to lose their lives. Despite all these incidents, there is no option but to stay here. We do not know if we will survive the monsoon this time. The residents near the riverbank cannot eat or sleep,” she says.

Last year's flood claimed the lives of six people in Panchthar, displaced 608 people from 314 houses across the district, and washed away 17 bridges, including eight permanent and nine suspension bridges. 

Although the federal government built a Bailey bridge over the Hewa River on the Mechi Highway section of the Phidim-Taplejung road, there is no sign of bridges being built over the rivers in Falelung and Yangwarak.

The rural municipalities have been managing vehicular movement via diversions with local help. These diversions worked well throughout the winter, but it is uncertain what will happen during the monsoon. 

“We have limited budgets and have repeatedly urged the federal and provincial governments to build bridges, but there has been no response,” said Bir Bikram Thamsuhang, chairman of Falelung Rural Municipality.

The District Administration Office in Panchthar has issued a public notice warning of potential floods and landslides in the areas around the Hewa and Tamor rivers this monsoon too. However, the office lacks sufficient resources to mitigate potential disaster damage. 

Chief District Officer Bishnu Prasad Koirala said they had developed a disaster response plan in collaboration with neighbouring districts, local governments, security agencies, and organisations like the Red Cross. 

“We have the necessary materials for relief and rescue in case of minor incidents. And we have requested additional manpower and resources from higher authorities,” Koirala said.