135 Bajura settlements at risk, govt unmoved

By Sher Bahadur Sarki, Bajura, May 24: More than 135 settlements in the Bajura district have long been at high risk of floods and landslides. Despite the danger, there has been little government effort to relocate the vulnerable communities.

During the rainy season, both floods and landslides leave families worried about how they will survive through the peak monsoon months. Locals have repeatedly appealed to local authorities and the District Administration Office in Bajura, to relocate the settlements. However, their demands have remained unanswered. 

With no relocation programme in place and no means to move elsewhere on their own, many families are forced to continue living in dangerous areas, risking their lives every monsoon. Kamal Nath of Olena in Badimalika said the community had lived peacefully during winter, but the onset of the rainy season has once again brought anxiety and fear.

“Olena settlement has been at high risk of floods and landslides since 2019. We have repeatedly appealed to the government to relocate us, but no one has listened to our concerns so far,” he said.

“We have nowhere else to go if we leave the settlement. But if we stay, floodwaters reach our settlements during the monsoon. Last year, both floods and landslides wreaked havoc in the village. We barely managed to survive. The rainy season has started again, and we are constantly worried about another possible disaster that might sweep us away,” Nath added.

Most settlements in Budhinanda, Triveni, Gaumul, Badimalika, Budhiganga and Khaptad Chhededaha rural municipalities are also highly vulnerable to floods and landslides. Paratola Guiwan settlement of Khaptad Chhededaha Rural Municipality-5 in lower Bajura has been facing landslide risks for nearly 25 years. Since 1999, hundreds of families there have been living under the constant threat of floods and landslides.

Locals complain that elected representatives who won elections promising settlement relocation rarely return to the villages after being elected. The situation is similar in settlements such as Bajedi, Nimani, Tamprisera and Amkot in Budhiganga Municipality, as well as Ghangar, Tipada, Mana and Kordha in Badimalika Municipality. During the monsoon, many residents are forced to live under tarpaulin shelters in nearby forests.

Local governments have already collected data on flood and landslide-affected settlements and submitted it to the District Disaster Management Committee. The District Administration Office has also written to the Home Ministry requesting safe shelter arrangements for disaster victims.

However, residents of these vulnerable settlements continue to live under constant threat. For many, repeated promises and official assurances have brought little practical change.

Chief District Officer Dorendra Niraula said many villages in Bajura have recently become highly vulnerable to floods and landslides, and efforts are underway to relocate them.

He said that not only flood and landslide victims, but also earthquake survivors, require support. Around Rs. 70 million has been distributed for the construction of temporary shelters, and some families are already living in such huts.

“Settlement relocation has not yet taken place because it requires a large budget. We have already written to the Home Ministry regarding relocation. A team of geographical experts will inspect the settlements to assess the level of risk and determine which settlements can be relocated. Only after that process will relocation plans move forward,” Niraula said.