A month after Nepal flood, survivors have nowhere to go, no way to earn

October 1 ------ A month after the Bhotekoshi floods tore through settlements in Rasuwa, the immediate danger appears to have passed, but the disruption remains. Roads and bridges are still broken, homes and public buildings have been swept away, schools remain closed, and farmers are watching crops rot in fields they cannot reach by road.

For families living in temporary shelters and holding centres, relief has helped them get through the first few weeks. But they are now confronting a harder question: how to rebuild their lives when the routes back to their villages remain cut off, and their livelihoods have been destroyed.

For Dolma Yangjen Tamang of Syaphrubesi in ward 5 of Gosainkunda Rural Municipality, rebuilding the road and bridge to her village and restoring transport should be the priority so she and other survivors can return to work. She has been staying at a holding centre in Koming since the August 26 floods. “Those who were going to die have already died. Those of us who survived now need roads and transport to earn a living,” she said.

The flood swept away much of the Syaphrubesi settlement, and survivors are now living in holding centres and temporary shelters in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Kathmandu. A month on, Dolma said; people need more than relief. They need the roads, bridges, and transport links that will allow them to return home and support themselves. “We don’t know how long the relief will continue. Displaced families have survived on aid for a month. But how long can we live like this?” she said.

Dolma, who represents 45 households staying at the Koming holding centre, said shops in the village were also running out of supplies. “People cannot buy food because the shops have nothing left. And there is no road to bring supplies in,” she said.

Her concern is shared across the flood-hit areas. Damaged infrastructure has cut communities off from markets and essential supplies, while schools and local government offices remain disrupted. In some areas, farmers have been unable to take vegetables worth millions of rupees to market, and their produce is now rotting in the fields.

The government has approved monthly cash assistance for six months for displaced families in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading who make their own accommodation arrangements. Families of up to four members receive Rs15,000 a month, with an additional Rs2,000 for each extra member. Those receiving the cash will not be prioritised for other relief, including food, according to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority.

The decision has been sent to local units for implementation. Shanti Mahat, spokesperson for the authority, said families receiving the monthly assistance would not be prioritized for other food and relief support, while those without homes or arrangements for food and accommodation would continue to receive relief based on need. “The government will continue to provide relief as needed to families who have no home or arrangements for food and accommodation.” Mahat said the government was also working to arrange temporary housing as “quickly as possible” so affected families could resume their daily lives.

There are currently 183 people in eight holding centres in Nuwakot, 805 in nine centres in Rasuwa and 121 in four centres in Dhading. Their families have been approved to receive between Rs15,000 and Rs17,000 a month for six months.

For families still living in temporary camps, however, the uncertainty extends beyond the six-month relief period. Mar Singh Tamang, ward 1 chair of Uttargaya Rural Municipality, has been staying with displaced families at Pipaltar in Nuwakot. Around 300 households from Mailung and Salletar have been living there since their settlements were swept away. “We have been living on relief for a month, but we can’t depend on it forever. We don’t know what comes next,” Mar Sing said. “The government needs to act quickly.” He said almost every family had lost someone in the flood. “We are staying here in Pipaltar, but our thoughts are still with our own settlement that was swept away,” he said.

The disruption is also hampering the restoration of basic services in Rasuwa. The Gosainkunda Rural Municipality office in Syaphrubesi was swept away and is now operating temporarily from Dhunche, the district headquarters. Six schools remain closed, including those in Timure, Syaphrubesi, Langtang, Thuman, and Buddhim.

Kaisang Nurpu Tamang, chairman of the rural municipality, said that about half of the people from the affected area had moved to Kathmandu, while others were staying in temporary camps. Authorities are trying to place children in schools that remain accessible, but displaced families are still uncertain about where they will live once the temporary arrangements end. “People have already spent a month in temporary camps. They are now worried about where they will go and how long the assistance will continue,” Kaisang said. “They need permanent housing so they can start supporting themselves again.”

Source: inquirer.net