Monsoon nights filled with fear in Bajura

By Sher Bahadur Sarki,Bajura, Aug. 11: In most parts of Bajura, locals are forced to spend monsoon nights in constant fear. Even light rain can trigger landslides from the hills around their villages, keeping them awake and worried throughout the night. 

“In winter, we can sleep peacefully. But in the monsoon, it is frightening,” said Sangam Rawat, a resident of Dhurtola in Khaptad Chededaha Rural Municipality–3. 

“Landslides surround our village. When it rains heavily, I feel worried that my house could be buried while I am asleep,” he added.

The village has been at risk for a long time and there have been calls to relocate it to a safer place. However, no action has been taken. Rawat recalls that in 1998, a massive landslide from above the village caused heavy loss to life and property. It also destroyed farmland and pathways, making it hard for locals to travel between villages.

Before the landslides, Dhurtola residents farmed their land and lived comfortably. Now, with most of their farmland washed away, many are on the verge of losing their homes altogether and have no land left to grow crops.

This suffering is not limited to Dhurtola. Villages like Thekgau and Tuni Sain face the same problem. In Tuni Sain, women said it has become extremely difficult to collect grass and firewood during the rainy season. For nearly 24 years, they have lived a life of hardship.

“Our fathers and grandfathers chose this place thinking it was good, but now we live in constant fear. Landslides come from the hills above, and the Dugursain River is eroding our land. At night, we wonder if our homes will be buried before morning,” said a local woman.

During winter, women can go to the forest without worry, but in the monsoon, even that is dangerous. Elderly residents say they can only relax once their family members return home safely from the forest. 

Locals have repeatedly raised the issue with political parties, but there has been no effort to prevent the landslides. The landslide, which began in the monsoon of 1998, is still active today, having already destroyed most of the land in Dhurtola and Tuni Sain. They complain that no authority has paid attention to the problem.

Last year, a survey was conducted to collect data on displaced households, but no decision has been made about where or when the relocation will happen.

Villages including Dhurtola, Pudabaula, Thekgau and Tuni Sain are all at high risk of landslides and floods during the monsoon. The local government has limited capacity to act, so efforts are being made to request support from higher authorities. “More than 138 villages here are at risk and must be moved to safer locations,” said Birkha Bahadur Rawat, Ward Chairperson of Khaptad Chededaha Rural Municipality-3.

The Rural Municipality has already sent a request to the Ministry of Home Affairs for relocation, but no information has been received so far, said Meghnath Padhya, Chief District Officer and coordinator of the District Disaster Management Committee.