Displaced Families Face Hardship After Floods and Evictions

Kathmandu. After the bulldozer ran over the slum settlement on the banks of the Bagmati in Thapathali, the slum dwellers were kept in the Kirtipur holding center in an emergency. They did not find peace there either. After the notice to leave the holding center on Asar 19, there was fear, uncertainty, and restlessness among them. Moreover, another disaster struck when floods entered the settlement.

On Asar 27, heavy rain and floods submerged the Radhaswami holding center in Kirtipur. The slum dwellers taking shelter here could not save their clothes, bedding, and other belongings. The belongings that were barely saved when the bulldozer ran over the slum settlement were submerged by the flood. 23 slum families who fled leaving even their clothes to save their lives are currently taking shelter at the Agricultural Development Training Center in Bode, Bhaktapur.

However, this 'shelter' is also nominal and temporary. There is a compulsion to live crammed in two-three families in the same room, and there is uncertainty about the future. 'We have been made toys to be played with by cats like mice,' said Kamala Urab, one of the displaced, with tears in her eyes, 'How many days will we live in someone else's refuge like this? Where is our permanent address?'

Most of those taking shelter in Bode are elderly and children. For students studying in schools in Vishwa Niketan of Tripureshwor and Satungal, it is far and inconvenient to reach school from Bode. The compulsion to travel about 20 kilometers to go to school has increased the risk of disrupting the education of some children. 'The Ministry of Education has provided a vehicle from today, but it is not possible to reach all places,' lamented a parent.

Among the 23 families taking shelter in Bode, about 70 members are suffering from sugar, gastric, and other chronic diseases. Some need leg surgery, while others need their gallbladders removed. Although health workers come and do a general check-up, they do not have money to buy expensive medicines.

Long-term displacement and uncertainty have had a deep psychological impact on the slum families. Parents are distraught as their children and family members have to take refuge in others' homes far away. The displaced said that problems like crying, shouting, and babbling in sleep have started to appear.

'Whose heart would not ache seeing their family and home destroyed?' says Jawaharlal Urab, 'We are constantly worried that the adolescents might fall victim to rape or abuse.'

On Wednesday, the CDO of Bhaktapur and advisor to the Ministry of Finance, Uttam Niroula, visited Bode and inspected the holding center. Although they assured that they understood the suffering of the slum dwellers, the displaced have not yet believed them. They allege that the government promised permanent management within 15 days, but nothing has been done even after three months.

'Ministers come, distribute books, take photos and leave. But our problems remain the same,' expressed Dalmardan Kami with anger.

The main anger of the displaced is directed towards Prime Minister Balen Shah. They are furious over the lack of proper management after the demolition of the Thapathali settlement. 'Balen Shah is an engineer-like person, he should understand which place is deep and where the flood will come,' said Jawaharlal, 'We were taken and kept in that deep place in Kirtipur where the flood looted everything we had.'

They demand that Prime Minister Shah should not just write a 'status' on Facebook but come to the ground to understand the suffering of the people.

The slum dwellers taking shelter here have outright rejected the 25,000 or 70,000 rupees that the government has offered as temporary relief. Their demand is not money, but permanent housing and land ownership to live with dignity. 'The state has thrown us on the streets and is trying to get rid of us by giving 15-20 thousand. What will we do with that money? We need a safe house where our children can sleep peacefully,' said Dalmardan.

For these slum dwellers, who were driven away after the bulldozer ran over Thapathali and were displaced again after the flood entered the Kirtipur holding center, the shelter in Bode is not secure either. This is just a 'holding center' for them, but how long will this holding last? Uncertainty, fear, and suspicion have spread to the innermost layers of their minds. They panic thinking about when they will have to be driven away again. The 23 families taking shelter in Bode have warned not to be used merely as vote banks.

They accuse the Prime Minister of ignoring the suffering of the slum dwellers by wearing black glasses. 'The Nepali people will settle the score in the coming days,' said Jawaharlal angrily, 'We may be chased away by the slum dwellers in the future.'