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This time, my heart is truly scattered—what will stitch it, what will mend it?

Sadanand Dhital, a 55-year-old teacher from Patle Khet in Dhulikhel Municipality-11, Kavrepalanchok district, came to Banepa on October 3, 2024. While sewing his shoes, he sang a poignant song by Aruna Lama, expressing the sentiment that “this year’s Dashain has turned into a time of grief.”

They lost all their rice plants from the 4578.480 square meters of land in the flood. ‘This time, it should have yielded more than the previous time, but what can we do? I’m just happy to be alive,’ he added.” Tilkhoria and Nepanegaon of the headquarters Dhulikhel are completely displaced due to flood and landslide. The school building of Kalidevi secondary Danda Gaon, where Dhital teaches, has been pulled down by a landslide and covered with mud from the landslide. The school was closed. We went there when the rain stopped but the school was completely covered and we went to the houses of the students to understand the situation.”- he said.

Teacher Sadananda has lost much of his property, but certain incidents in the village have caused him great pain. “Poor Madhav Neupane built a two-storied concrete house and moved in on April 13. I performed Rudri Puja. A landslide has entered the house, making it completely uninhabitable.” He is especially concerned about the deaths of eight-year-old Nishan Bishwakarma and 50-year-old Badri Gautam from Dhulikhel Municipality-11, Dandagaon. “Nishan’s mother used to sell goods from a cart. While she was selling shop items, the landslide came and struck her. They lived in a wooden structure, and it’s such a tragedy,’ Teacher Dhital said in one breath.”

Panauti Municipality-1 is in darkness. Continuous rain has left the area without light. There is a severe shortage of drinking water. Several residents have lost their lives due to floods and landslides. Most physical infrastructure has been damaged, and public road networks are closed. In Panauti Municipality-1, Ram Prasad Sapkota’s two daughters were swept away by a landslide, and his wife, Shanti Sapkota, was injured. There is no way out. The Niure River has flooded the ward office, disrupting the Parkhalchaur market and nearby settlements. The floods have also severely affected the business of Ram Krishna Parajuli at Rainbow Trout Farm, where he has lost nearly 3,000 kg of fish while trying to monitor the rising waters.

Almost 100 meters above them, a dozen buffaloes and about two dozen goats at the buffalo farm of Netra Tamang in Mahalaxmi have been buried by a landslide. The lack of proper retrieval of the dead animals has started to cause a foul smell. Suresh Tamang’s oldest trout farm in Khaanikhola has also been damaged. Materials meant for his restaurant are scattered throughout the river. Broken jars and the legs of tables and chairs are lying everywhere. His family is also facing displacement.

The main bridge going to Khaanikhola has been completely washed away. Electricity poles are lying in the river, and wires are hanging precariously. Water pipes are visible throughout the river. Krishna Bahadur Thapa’s extensive field has turned into a barren wasteland. The land, which he couldn’t sell for 700,000 rupees for 342.25 sq. feet, is now a rocky plain. Time and weather have become unfavorable for the people here. There are no riverside settlements or farmland that haven’t been affected by the floods. Who will understand the pain of those who raise livestock like cows, buffaloes, and goats in hopes of earning a living?

Work has begun to clear landslides from the main roads. The route from Panauti to Manedobhan has finally become passable for traffic. “Farmers are always in trouble. Sometimes it’s the threat of wild boars, sometimes floods and landslides, and other times it’s diseases or epidemics in livestock. That’s not all—another problem arises when the fruits and grains produced at fair prices can’t find a market, said,” Bikram Sapkota. Most fields around the banks of the Lamduwali River, including those of Jagamare Kapil Sapkota, have been completely wiped out. Many areas of the paved road have collapsed. Meanwhile, in Kemerakhani, the house of Chitraprasad Sapkota has been completely damaged. “We stayed awake all night. We tried to clear the landslide blocking the back, but we couldn’t save the house,” said Sapkota.

According to the National Census 2021, in Kavrepalanchok District, among 135 wards, there are reports of floods in 51 wards, landslides in 115 wards, soil erosion in 43 wards, inundation in 18 wards, storms and strong winds in 54 wards, lightning in 50 wards, hail in 46 wards, excessive rainfall in 4 wards, intermittent rainfall in 6 wards, drought and aridity in 53 wards, fires in 36 wards, forest bonfire in 71 wards, and no risks in 8 wards. Due to the lack of drinking water, health workers recommend boiling water for consumption. After floods and landslides caused water supply issues, Ward Chairperson Jay Lam of Panauti Municipality-1 has begun to install drinking water pipes.

After the floods and landslides, the sources of drinking water have been completely blocked. Towns like Dhulikhel, Banepa, and Panauti are also suffering from a lack of drinking water. The water source,bhumedanda, which was brought has been severely affected by landslides. According to Home Prasad Chaulagai, the information officer at the Nepal Drinking Water Corporation in Kavre, the Shashipani, Integrated Drinking Water, and Mineral projects are all closed. Due to the washing away of water pipes in most areas, there is a severe shortage of water. In some places, efforts are being made to locate old water sources and wells.

In this district, 75 people, including one American citizen, have lost their lives. Twenty-two individuals rescued by security personnel are receiving treatment at the Shree Memorial Hospital in Dhulikhel and Banepa. Fifty people affected by the floods and landslides have returned home after treatment. Seven individuals from Dhulikhel, Temal, and Chaurideurali rural municipalities are still out of contact with their families and are missing. The Nepal Army, along with armed forces, local authorities, and civilians, has rescued a total of 4,110 people in emergencies, including 711 individuals affected by the floods and landslides, using helicopters.

According to the District Administration Office of Kavre, 8,471 people affected by landslides on the Banepa-Bardibas road have been sent to their respective homes using various types of vehicles. Like the song sung by Aruna Lama, Kavre has been deeply affected by floods and landslides before it could recover from the earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic. The disaster of floods and landslides has reminded the people of Kavre of the lyrics: “Last year, when happiness shattered, we carefully avoided it. This time, my heart is shattered—who will sew it back together, who will mend it?”

Sumitra Acharya, Kavre

 

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