Floods trigger exodus in Rukum

RUKUM, July 28: At least three dozen families of three western VDCs of the district have migrated to safer highlands to escape flood fury. The families from Baluwa Chaur, Syarpu and Darne VDCs, who also herded their cattle along with them, will only return home in Dashain.



These places remain vulnerable to floods during the rainy season every year and have recorded huge losses many times in the past. Syaputal, a lake at Banfkot, usually bursts and drown the nearby settlements. [break]



Forty families were displaced last year and 291 houses were damaged due to floods emanating from the lake. The same floods had pulled down two suspension bridges, five drinking water facilities and eight irrigation canals, according to the District Development Committee.



“They have gone upward and will live in sheds there, while a few have also taken shelter at their relatives´ house elsewhere,” said Chandra Bahadur KC, a local.



According to KC, more than 25 bighas of land in the villages have so far been eroded by the floods. “We have been dispossessed of our land and living here is much harder than before,” he added.



Meanwhile, Syaputal, a popular tourist destination in the district, faces sheer danger of extinction as it has been gradually filled up with mud accumulated by Kharkhola.



Moreover, rampant deforestation in the hills has increased the risk of floods and landslides in the district. Bidyapati Rijal, a local, lamented that the authorities have not taken initiatives to contain floods despite continuing losses.



The flood victims here had refused to accept the government´s relief packages last year saying it meant nothing compared to their losses.

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