Ignorance of the government in the damage caused by road landslides

His relatives in Chhabispathivera rural municipality, who were displaced by the floods in Seti 23 years ago, have not yet been resettled. At that time, the entire Dalit settlement, which had been living on the Seti bank for generations, was displaced. Janaki felt safe for the first time in her life when she got married and reached Khaptadchanna rural municipality.

This happiness did not last long . When the people's representatives came at the local level, after that, they started digging villages to build roads randomly with dozers. As soon as the monsoon rains, the floods and landslides take place . 'It seems that the landslide is chasing me,' she said in a meeting in Kathmandu a month ago, 'Earlier, when the rains started, there was a fear that my house would be crushed by a landslide.' is .

Two years ago, the landslide and flood had changed the map of Khaptadchanna Rural Municipality. The reason was the haphazardly dug road. 078 From the night of 31st October to the morning of 3rd October, 6 people lost their lives due to the landslides and floods that came with the rain for about 50 hours . 76 houses were completely destroyed, 350 houses in more than a dozen villages were affected and 185 families were displaced. 1 thousand 966 plantations of more than 600 families were destroyed. 245 farming families who consumed their own grain and sold the leftovers became squatters within 50 hours.

The study has shown that using heavy equipment (dozers) to build roads without environmental studies in areas of political access like in Khaptadchanna affects water drainage, disturbs steep land, causes floods and landslides, traffic is blocked due to landslides, and the damage to agricultural land is increasing . A study published in October 2019 about the "disaster caused by the use of heavy equipment in the construction of rural roads" has pointed out that the roads dug in this way have pushed the rural settlements of the mountains to a high risk of landslides and human life is in danger.

Moreover, the ``Economic Survey 2079'' conducted annually to analyze the economic and social indicators of the country has said that the road network is the infrastructure of economic development in the country. The survey of the Ministry of Finance further states, 'It expands the country's internal economic activity, contributes to regional and international trade, and brings ease to the public life by ensuring transport services.' It does not apply to the life of Janki living in District Bajhang. "It's not that there were no landslides before, but the roads that were cut everywhere increased the landslides and floods so much that we don't know when the rest of our lives will end," she said.

The study on 'Landslides, Road Construction and Disaster Risk Reduction in Nepal's Land and Politics' after the rains start, landslides occur when the soil is disturbed by the steep, earthquake-damaged land, deforestation, roads without environmental studies, using big machines. Anil Pokharel, the executive head of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, says, 'Rainfall at a higher rate than before, rain in the mountains, the road digging stage and to some extent the 072 earthquake have increased landslides in the mountains.' Bhandari adds, 'In the disaster risk accounting in the communities of some rural municipalities, there are road embankments and induced landslides and it comes first and second.'

By conducting environmental studies, it can be determined in advance whether the road will have a significant negative impact on the environment or not. In addition, measures to be taken to eliminate or minimize such effects can be found. According to the Environmental Protection Act 076 and Regulation 077, mandatory standards for environmental studies have been set for every road construction work. Roads built against that standard are causing disasters such as landslides and floods during low rainfall.

In Kankasundari rural municipality-5 Barkotebada of Jumla, this happened on 22nd October 2079 . It rained continuously from October 19 to 24 here. As measured at the monitoring station of the Department of Water and Meteorology near Barkote, within 24 hours, 4.6 mm on 19th October, 31.4 mm on 20th, 40.5 mm on 21st, 49.8 mm on 22nd, 69 mm on 23rd and 24th 55.7 mm of rain fell. Rainfall of 60 mm in every one hour and 140 mm in every 24 hours is called danger signal (warning level) by the department at Babarmahal in Kathmandu.

This indicates a possible danger of high-flow landslides on the slopes of the local area . However, seven members of two families died at once in Barekotebada due to a landslide that fell at around 5 am when the rain fell below the warning level of the department. Looking at the rainfall recorded between August 15 and October 15 every year from 2018 to 2022 in Barebatebada, the last year had the highest rainfall during this period . Analyzing the rainfall data provided by the department every year from August 15 to October 15, the maximum in 24 hours is 23 mm in 2018, 25.4 mm in 2019, 23.4 mm in 2020, 29.6 mm in 2021 and 69 in 2022. mm of rain was .

Yakan Shahi of Barkote lost her husband Surendra in the landslide of October 22. The reason for the loss of her husband after two years of marriage was a blindly dug road. Remembering the day when the landslide fell from the road, he was also saved as he was at home with his one and a half year old son. 50-year-old mother-in-law Saraswati Hamal Dhanna survived the landslide. After being rescued and taken to Surkhet for treatment, his consciousness was restored. The back, which was torn in the landslide, and the hand bone wound that moved downwards continue to heal . The responsibility of taking care of them is in the lap of 19 years of memory.

Randomly dug roads adding to the disaster

• A road was dug over their settlement a decade ago . Before the opening of the road, there was a Goretto road . When former Virat was a villager, the road was built with a budget of 9 lakh rupees.

The chairman of the consumer committee was Dambar Bahadur Shahi, a local of Barkotebada. In the beginning, dig with people. The engineer who came from the district development committee to monitor the plan said that the road is narrow and asked to use a dozer to widen it. Seven lakhs had already been spent while digging with people. There was no budget to install a dozer .

After Gavis assured to put in more budget, Consumer Committee Chairman Shahi widened it with a dozer. The cost increased to 1.5 lakhs and was cut . Tried to clear insufficient expenses . After not getting it, they didn't do any more work on the road . The road was left stranded.

After the people's representatives came to the local level, dozers were used every year to repair and increase the said road. There is an irrigation canal 300 meters above the settlement. Two years ago, another rural road was also built with a dozer on the upper side of the valley. Shahi said that the landslide occurred in Barkotebada after the irrigation canal was not constructed while digging the same road. "After digging the rural road over the irrigation ditch and dilapidating it in places, it directly affected us," said 64-year-old Shahi, who is also the village leader. Locals said that the risk of landslides has increased in this village.

The country's first Environmental Protection Act 053 and Regulation 054 stipulated that environmental studies should be carried out during the construction, upgrading and reconstruction of urban and district roads, national highways and major auxiliary roads. In Barkotebada, under the leadership of Dambar Bahadur Shahi of the then consumer committee, the road that was widened by using people and dozers on it was not tight. "We used to build it based on the observations of those who came to monitor from the district and rural municipality, we didn't know that it should be done after environmental studies," said Shahi. Kanakasundari temple, this road is built to connect Khalanga through Jaljala and no motor vehicles ply. Sometimes only bikes and tractors move.

Two years ago, the previous act and regulations were amended when the rural road was dug. According to the revised provisions, local roads were brought under the scope of environmental studies. Former Ward President Birkh Khatri said that the residents of Barkote had to face landslides due to non-compliance of the rules. "We didn't know whether it was the budget of the state or the union. Without coordinating with the ward, the dozer cut the road without coordinating with the ward, and the soil that was dumped after cutting the road is covered with soil. The same soil has eroded and damaged," he said. , our tenure is over.'

Two years ago, when Oxford Policy Management conducted a study on 'Landslides, Road Construction and Disaster Risk Reduction in Nepal', 61 percent of the landslides occurred in 35 districts across the country in 2007. The reason was concluded.

Its summary report was published in 078 . The detailed study report has not been published yet. Two researchers involved in the study said, 'There were critical things that caused landslides, and they suspected that the government employees and political parties would be angry, so they did not let the detailed report be printed.' Oxford Policy Management Nepal replied by email on March 7 Sent .

According to the records of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, 34 thousand 100 km of roads were extended by the federal government and 66 thousand 57 km were extended by the state government and the local level. In the last 24 years, i.e. since 2005, the local road network has increased 14 times across the country.

Around the year 055, the length of local roads was 4,750 km . By the year 079, this distance has increased to 66 thousand 57 km . The district roads that were built as local roads before the implementation of the federal structure are currently maintained as provincial roads. However, the government does not even have the data on how many roads were built with or without environmental studies.

Dogdi village in Khaptad Chededah Rural Municipality of Bajura, which is located between Siungad and Chaulakhola. Satellite photo source: Google Earth Pro

_{(November 2023) Random road construction will damage arable land and the problem of drying up water sources has increased. In the year 2078, a study conducted in 300 local levels of Himalayan and hilly areas except Terai Madhes on the availability of water found that 51 percent of the water source has dried up due to random construction of roads and buildings in the name of development . The study was conducted by the Nepal Water Resources Foundation (NWF) and the International Center for Integrated Mountain Development (ICMOD).}

According to the Environmental Protection Act and regulations, if a road is constructed without study or contrary to the approved report, a fine of at least five lakh to five million rupees and blacklisting for one to five years have been prescribed.

The employees of the Environment and Biodiversity Division of the Ministry of Forests have said that they have not had to explain or take action to anyone regarding the non-compliance of the EIA of the road project for two years . Co-Secretary Umeshvindu Shrestha, who is also the spokesperson in the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure, has also given the same response.

According to Krishna Gyawali, the former secretary of Nepal government, it is the right of citizens to ask for roads and it is only the responsibility of the state to dig roads. He says that due to insufficient understanding of environmental governance in road construction, the implementation of the laws and regulations made with the aim of minimizing damage is increasing the risk of landslides. "People's representatives do not understand our problem, they say that the road must be delivered as it should be, this is also an opportunity to practice corruption," says Gyawali.

Kalyani Khadka, the former chairperson of the Development and Technology Committee in the House of Representatives, said that the instructions given to the government to regulate were not heard. "We instructed the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure to control and regulate the incidents of floods, landslides, erosion, damage to settlements and forests caused by randomly dug roads at the local level and the state," she said. Road construction is being done, the budget is being eaten up, even on the roads built by the Union, work is being done based on power and access rather than on the basis of needs.'

Buddhisagar Paudel, joint secretary of the climate change management division in the Ministry of Forests and Environment, admits that the lack of monitoring and inspection is increasing. "We do not take the contract of 'the environmental study body," he said. Many say that we have not reported to the country of formation of the country of December and NBSP. ' , The opposite risk is likely to know about the disaster raised by the road and nbsp in the road. But its study, meditation does not seem to be in their priorities and nbsp;. Startry expenses will increase when making safer roads, but in the blastage that happens many clarits & nbsp;. But when it is technically inappropriate for the economic leadership and the employee's doskends, the obligatory of the people, the economic self-in-law is being instructed to bring a road to the village of the people and Nbsp;. There is no consciousness that low infrastructure can develop or prevent damage and infrastructure and nbsp;. & Nbsp;

'Damage Is Starting'

Anul Pokhrel, Executive Chief Uncomposition Authority Santi - Nbsp ;. What has damned damaged and! The damage is still growing & nbsp;. Hokie, a led engineer should be worn 'to the road, use water to use the roads with landslides.

the criteria of an environmental study does not block the opposition & nbsp;. We are making the Road Department of Raji, Validation Agency Before Essentializing Frequency and Demniated by the Department of Road and Demniated by the Department of Vegetteners to make a new road. & NBSP;. & Nbsp;