The name Daibhat is as beautiful as the settlement itself. Daibhat is a beautiful village located in the middle, surrounded by hills on all sides. The settlement has not developed much. Human settlement in Daibhat started after the year 1993. The settlement in Daibhat was started by the then Chief, Dambar Singh Dhami. What began with one house has now grown to nearly 23 families. The settlement development started with clearing the jungle. However, despite the beauty of the place, reaching here is quite difficult. Due to the lack of interest from the government in development, the settlement remains isolated. The government has been able to establish only one school here and has not provided any other facilities. Overall, apart from a basic school, the people of Daibhat are deprived of other essential services.
Citizens Deprived of Basic Health Services
According to Article 35 of the Constitution of Nepal, which guarantees the right to health, every citizen is entitled to free basic health services from the State, and no one shall be deprived of emergency health services. Furthermore, Sub-article 3 of the same Article ensures that every citizen has equal access to health services. However, despite these constitutional provisions, the citizens of Daibhat, Apihimal Rural Municipality-2, remain deprived of essential health services. For years, they have been unable to access basic health services. To reach the ward office or the nearby health post from Daibhat, one has to walk for at least four hours. The path through the jungle is not safe for walking alone. Resident Bharat Singh Dhami stated that there is no way to even get paracetamol if one gets a headache from the cold. He further mentioned that it takes a whole day to reach the 10-bed hospital being constructed in the Rural Municipality. Although the hospital is under construction, it seems impossible for the citizens of wards 1, 2, 5, and 6 to access it. It takes four hours to walk from Daibhat to Makarigadh. According to Dhami, once in Makarigadh, patients have to travel further by vehicle to reach the Marma border or Lattinath Hospital for treatment. He added that if a patient’s condition becomes critical, there is a risk of losing their life on the way. There is no basic health unit in the settlement even for providing primary treatment. Despite having a small number of families, the state has failed to take responsibility for the health of its citizens.
The number of people leaving the village has increased.
Daibhat, having 23 households and a population of 187, now only has around 60 residents. Bharat Singh Dhami, who is also the principal of the school, stated that due to the lack of basic services in the settlement, both children and the elderly have left in search of better opportunities.
The Rural Municipality only offers education up to grade 5, and the number of students is very low. From grade 6 onwards, students have to go outside the settlement for education. Due to the lack of both education and health services, parents are forced to send their children to study elsewhere. As parents must accompany their children for care, the number of people remaining in the Daibhat is getting very small. There are only one or two, at most four people in a household,” said local Umesh Singh Dhami. He further added that in any unfortunate incident, it has become difficult to find people. Due to the lack of development, locals are increasingly forced to leave the settlement. There is no easy route to reach Daibhat. To get there from Apihimal Rural Municipality-2 Ghusa, one must take an uphill path. From Makarigadh in Ward No. 5, it takes more than six hours of uphill walking to reach Daibhat. Similarly, from Sitola in Ward No. 6, one can only reach Daibhat by climbing an uphill path. To reach Daibhat from Makarigadh, a road is far from reality; what’s needed is a proper path for pack animals and people to walk on. The people of Daibhat do not even dream of a road, but if there were a good path, patients would receive timely treatment, and the transportation of food and daily necessities would be cheaper. Citizens buy rice for Rs 55-60 per kilogram in Makarigadh. However, if people need to transport it from Makarigadh, the cost is Rs 60 per kilogram for transportation, said Prakash. He further questioned how people with weak financial conditions could manage to purchase food. Even if goods are transported by pack animals, it costs Rs 20. The lack of proper paths for pack animals makes transportation very difficult in this area. The only source of income in the village is medicinal herbs. The local production does not even last for six months. Although electrification work is ongoing across the district, there is no sign of electricity reaching Daibhat yet.
Low Student Population
The Siddhanath Basic School in Daibhat, which operates classes from early childhood to Grade 5, has a low student population. Established in 1999, the school currently has only 16 students enrolled. According to Bharat Singh Dhami, the principal of Siddhanath Basic School, there are three students in the early childhood class, three in Grade 1, three in Grade 2, two in Grade 3, three in Grade 4, and two in Grade 5. The school has two relief teachers, one teacher appointed by the rural municipality, one early childhood development teacher, and one office assistant. Principal Dhami further stated that the number of students has decreased because many parents have taken their children to Dhangadhi and Darchula for higher grades as parents prefer to enroll their children in schools in urban areas. Principal Bharat Singh Dhami shared that providing midday meals to students has been a significant challenge for the school. The meals must be transported from Makarigadh and the Rural Municipality has allocated Rs. 10 per kilogram for transportation costs. However, the actual transportation cost is Rs. 60 per kilogram if carried by people and Rs. 20 per kilogram if transported by mules. Despite these difficulties, the school is managing to provide meals to students with great effort.