Three months after the flood washed away their home, they are still struggling with the cold wind and an uncertain future inside tarpaulins and tents on the banks of the river.
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The night of October 18 and 19 turned out to be a terrible one for the residents of Rajduwali, Ilam Municipality-10. The floodwaters of Maikhola swept away the entire settlement in a few minutes. Houses, fields, grain, clothes, and papers all disappeared into the river. All that remained was that terrible night stuck in life and memory.
The flood also destroyed the house and property of Sukmaya Tamang of Rajduwali. ‘At that time, nothing could be saved except a single piece of clothing,’ she says, ‘now we have to live a miserable life in a tent.’
Sukmaya is not the only one, 34 families including her have been displaced by the Maikhola floods. Even after three months since the flood swept away their homes, they are still struggling with the cold wind and an uncertain future in tents and tents on the banks of the river.
After the flood, an NGO called Help Nepal Network has built temporary shelters for 14 families. The shelters, made of zinc, can stop the rain, but they cannot withstand the bitter cold of Ilam. ‘We are spending the night as best we can,’ complains local Dukpa Bishwakarma, who is resting in a makeshift tent, ‘The winter has already set in, and the tents are not warm enough.’
Some families are still living in tents. There are no beds or enough warm clothes. The situation is even more painful for children, the elderly and pregnant women.
Locals had heard that the government would provide Rs 50,000 in relief for the construction of temporary tents. Minister for Physical Infrastructure Kulman Ghising, who reached Ilam on Asoj 26 immediately after the flood, had announced that Rs 50,000 would be provided for the construction of temporary tents and Rs 400,000 for the construction of houses.
The ward office had also asked the victims to open bank accounts last November. However, they complain that they have not received a single relief amount so far. ‘The ward is now saying that it will not give 50,000 rupees to open a bank account,’ says victim Amrit Rai, ‘They asked me to open an account saying that the money will come first. Now, I have no idea.’
An NGO named Help Nepal Network has built 14 huts. The victims have become even more angry after the ward office informed them that the families who built the huts will not get the 50,000 rupees relief provided by the government. ‘The organization built the huts for us, but we have to get the relief from the government, right?’ said another victim Sur Bahadur Gurung, ‘Can we say that the government built that hut?’
If there is land, the ward office has informed the victims that they will deposit 400,000 rupees in their bank accounts only after they first buy the land. Victim Laxmi Maya BK said that the ward office has informed that only victims who have property documents for land within the ward will be provided 400,000 rupees to build a house.
After this provision of the ward, the victims have become more restless. ‘First buy the land, then give 4 lakhs to build a house. If we have land and money, we want to live here, and we?’, Laxmi Maya expressed her grief, ‘We don’t have money to eat rice, where will we get the money to buy the land?’
Laxmi Maya said that the government will build a house in the place where we are currently living. ‘We will not move from here even if we lose our lives,’ she says.
All the victims do not have a single piece of land in their name in ward number 10. Gurung added, ‘It is clear that the government has no intention of giving money. We should build this house, we will not leave this land now.’
According to Ward 10 Secretary Ravindra Ghimire, 14 temporary tents have been built at the initiative of NGOs, while some families are still forced to live in tents.
He said that there is a clear provision in the procedure that double facilities cannot be taken, and that 50 thousand rupees cannot be provided to families who have already built a tent. However, he said that the government will provide 400,000 rupees for the construction of houses.
Ilam Chief District Officer Sunita Nepal said that the procedure clearly states that double facilities cannot be given to victims who have already built temporary tents by NGOs. According to her, the victim has to choose only one between 'taking a tent or taking 50,000 rupees', and both facilities cannot be taken at the same time.
Regarding housing assistance, Pradya Nepal said that 400,000 rupees can be provided even to those who have land outside the district. However, she said that the 400,000 rupees will not be available to those who have houses. 'Those who have land will get 400,000 to build a house, so why should they give it to those who already have houses?', she said.
