Nuwakot, 10 Sep: Devighat Bazaar, once a bustling religious, tourism and commercial center in Nepal’s Nuwakot district, has been transformed into a landscape of mud, debris and destruction following the devastating Bhotekoshi glacial flood.
Located at the confluence of the Trishuli and Tadi rivers in Bidur Municipality, Devighat was among the areas severely affected by the flood that struck on Bhadau 10. Much of the market has been destroyed, with homes and businesses buried under mud and debris. Trees have also been uprooted or damaged.
One of the few structures left largely intact is a full-sized stone statue of King Prithvi Narayan Shah, the founder of modern Nepal, standing near the market.
More than 300 families displaced from Devighat have been taking shelter at a nearby holding center. As they approach their 15th day in temporary accommodation, many residents say they no longer want to return to the devastated settlement.
Having lost homes, businesses and years of savings almost overnight, survivors are asking the government to relocate them permanently to safer areas. Many fear that another flood or similar disaster could strike if they remain in the same location.
Chameli Shrestha, who ran a tailoring business from her home in Devighat, is among those who lost almost everything. She is currently staying at a holding center at nearby Chandrajyoti Secondary School with little more than the clothes she was wearing when the flood struck.
Relief supplies have provided her family with basic food and shelter, but she is worried about the future, particularly how she will educate her children and earn a living.
“I built a two-and-a-half-storey house with the money I earned throughout my life and from selling my land. I ran a tailoring business from home,” Shrestha said, fighting back tears. “The flood swept away my house, sewing machines, clothes and cooking utensils. Now I have nothing except the clothes I am wearing.”
She said she wants the government to build homes for affected families in a safer location rather than attempting to restore Devighat to its previous condition.
Rajaram Pudasaini, another Devighat resident, suffered similar losses. Mud, silt and debris have buried up to three floors of his four-storey house. He also lost his stationery business, where he says books and notebooks worth around Rs. 1 million to Rs. 1.5 million were destroyed.
“I could not recover anything from the house except the clothes I was wearing,” Pudasaini said. “The flood also swept away cash and 25 tolas of gold.”
Pudasaini had already paid the first installment of his daughter’s admission fee for a BSc program in Bengaluru, India. He now fears he may not be able to afford to continue her education.
He recently met Information and Communications Minister Dr. Bikram Timilsina to explain his situation and called for affected residents to be relocated to safer areas.
The destruction has also devastated nearby Dhunge Bazaar. Nearly 200 families have been displaced from the settlement. Janak Adhikari, whose four-storey house was swept away, is currently staying at his brother’s home in Kathmandu.
He said Dhunge Bazaar had been an important commercial center but should not be rebuilt in the same location if doing so would expose residents to another disaster.
“ The flood took away my house and everything I earned throughout my life,” Adhikari said. “I do not even feel like talking to anyone anymore.”
Another resident, Ramhari Rijal, said mud had filled up to three floors of his five-storey house. He was cleaning the building in the hope that the upper floors might still be usable, but acknowledged that the settlement could never easily return to its previous condition.
Across Nuwakot, 2,020 displaced people—including 1,041 women and 979 men—are currently staying in 20 holding centers located in schools and other facilities. Government agencies and social organizations are providing basic supplies, including rice, lentils, water, noodles and biscuits.
Nuwakot Chief District Officer Shambhu Prasad Regmi said authorities were collecting detailed information on affected families before beginning the resettlement process.
“We are collecting data through the wards of local governments to determine how many families and individuals have been affected and how they can be managed,” Regmi said.
He said the federal government would work with provincial and local authorities to determine which families require relocation and which may be eligible for compensation. Suitable locations for resettlement would then be identified.
Authorities also plan to gradually move displaced families from holding centers into rented accommodation while a longer-term resettlement strategy is developed.
For residents of Devighat and Dhunge Bazaar, however, the immediate challenge is not simply rebuilding houses. It is finding a safe place where they can rebuild their lives without the fear of another disaster hanging over them.
