Barpak locals return to village after nine years

BY GUN BAHADUR ROKA,Sulikot, Dec. 9: The devastating earthquake of April 25, 2015, totally destroyed Kharung village in Barpak Sulikot Rural Municipality-4 of Gorkha district. Almost all the houses in the village were severely damaged. Despite the destruction, the residents of Kharung managed to repair and rebuild their homes and resumed living in their ancestral land.

However, just months later, in June of the same year, continuous rainfall triggered landslides, putting the entire village at risk. This added to the suffering of the villagers, with cracks appearing in the ground and significant portions of the village on the verge of collapse. As a result, more than half a dozen families were displaced, with some relocating to Chitwan, Gorkha Bazaar, Chhebetar, Kathmandu and other areas.

Faced with this crisis, the rural municipality, in collaboration with the Land and Watershed Management Office and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, initiated efforts to control the landslide. Now, nearly nine years later, the landslide risk in Kharung has been mitigated, informed Bishnu Bhatt, Chairman of the rural municipality.

As the landslide threat has been controlled, former residents have started returning to their ancestral homes.

 Suk Bahadur Tamang, a local, said that the landslide had scattered the villagers, but they were now coming back due to the reduced risk and the shared bonds of religion, culture and community. "The landslide had dispersed everyone," he said, "but now people are returning because of their connection to their faith, culture and society."

According to FAO disaster risk reduction specialist Lilajung Gurung, the landslide was controlled by constructing gabion walls and planting stabilising vegetation such as amriso (broom plant), uttis (alder) and Rani Khanayo (a local tree species). He said that six displaced families had already returned to the village.

Sher Bahadur Gurung, one of the displaced residents, said, "When the landslide threatened to take away the entire village, we had no choice but to leave. For almost nine years, I lived in Chitwan, but now that the landslide has been controlled, we’ve returned to our village." He added that the area was now safe and peaceful, allowing them to live comfortably in their beautiful village.

According to Chairman Bhatt, the planted amriso was also being used to form income-generating groups. Furthermore, a comprehensive early warning system had been installed in the village, enabling residents to feel more secure.