Kailali, 22 Dec: In the forest near Balubgada, Chure Gaupalika–4, Navalsingh Gharti and his family have been living under tarps for the past three years.
The Gharti family from Masuri village in Chure–4 became homeless after a landslide a few years ago. They rented land and built a house, but were later displaced again when the landowner refused to let them stay. “After that, we started living in the middle of the Taankgada forest in Chure–4,” recalled Navalsingh, reminiscing. “There were many families there. We were evicted from there too, accused of encroaching on the forest. We had nowhere to go. So we ended up settling on the edge of this forest.”
Another resident, Ratan Nath, living in the same area, shares a similar plight. Originally from a family in Dadeldhura, Ratan lost his parents young and went to India for work. While he was in India, a land survey team came to the village, and his relatives reportedly had land registered in Ratan’s name under their own names. “My parents passed away when I was young, I was abroad,” he said. “My relatives got all our land measured and registered in their names. When I returned, I didn’t even have a piece of land to stand on.”
After leaving Dadeldhura in 2060 BS and settling on Guthi land in Chure Gaupalika–4, he was eventually evicted from there as well and has now come to live here.
Ratan’s family has been living under a tarp near the playground of the local Suryamukhi Basic School. “This is not our choice, it’s a compulsion,” says Ratan. “The school here is asking us to vacate the playground area. I don’t know where we will go now.”
The Risky Life Under Tarps
Currently, over 15 families are living in temporary tarps in the Balubgada area. Among them, some parents have gone to India in search of work, leaving only children at home.
For these homeless families living in the forest, life is extremely difficult. It is hard for the children to endure the cold under the tarps. According to local Kali Nath, during the monsoon, water leaks in, soaking their food grains and clothes.
“When it rains, mud seeps into the tarp,” he says. “There’s the fear of scorpions and insects all night. Several times, we’ve had to rush for treatment after scorpion stings. But having nowhere else to go, we are forced to live here, battling death.”
Crushing Stones for Livelihood
The daily routine of the women here is spent in the Balubha riverbed. Collecting gravel from the river is their main source of income. “The children’s exams are approaching,” says local Buddhisara Sinjali. “We plan to pay the exam fees with the money from selling the gravel.” Like Buddhisara, gravel is the primary income source for other women as well.
The gravel, sold at Rs. 1,500 per cubic meter, provides the money for basic household necessities. The situation is not unique to this area; it is similar for homeless families living in various parts of Chure.
Chandra Bahadur Lamichhane Magar, Ward Chairman of Chure Gaupalika–4, explained that the lack of alternative housing arrangements forces the victims to stay where they are. According to him, 116 families displaced by the 2077 BS floods and other reasons have been living temporarily in areas like Panerugada, Taankgada, Balubgada in Chure–4, and Khamahale, Khanidanda in Chure–1.
Initially, around 700 families, claiming to be homeless, were settled in the forest area. After investigation by the Gaupalika, only 116 families were found to be completely homeless. In 2079 BS, the Forest Office evicted them for forest encroachment. According to the Gaupalika’s investigation, it is the genuine victims who are currently living in the forest area.
“The problem of the displaced is very serious,” says Ward Chairman Magar. “But the local level does not have its own land to manage them immediately. The Forest Office tries to evict them from the forest area, while on the other hand, they have nowhere to go. This is why they are in a precarious situation.”
These displaced families of Chure have been waiting for years, hoping the government will provide safe housing. Being citizens of this state, their wish is that the government fulfills its role as a guardian.
