The decision to shift the settlements was taken in a meeting of District Disaster Relief Committee. The meeting had also decided to move the settlements of Asikhai of Lothar VDC in the district.
Guchiwang is a settlement for of 24 households, while 19 families have been living in Asikhai. Locals of Guchiwang belong to the underprivileged dalit community whereas Asikhai is a settlement of Chepang people, yet another underprivileged community.
According to Man Bahadur BK, Chief District Officer (CDO) of Chitwan, preparations are underway to move locals of the rural hilly villages to safety.
“Moving us to safer places doesn’t mean our plights will be over,” said Gupta Bahadur BK, 40, of Guchiwang. “But the we can’t risk our lives staying in a place that is prone to landslides,” he added.
Rasuwa villages at high risk of landslides
Guchiwang is a beautiful village surrounded by breathtaking hills. Maize and seasonal vegetables can be seen growing in the fields. But the earthquake has rendered the village dangerous and uninhabitable.
“The Chundhunga Hill that looms over the village is on the verge of collapse and it will not withstand the monsoon rain,” said BK.
After every aftershock, dust from Chundhunga Hill envelop the whole village, informed BK. “Fears of landslides prevent us from woking our fields,” said Saha Maya Bika, another local.
“Once after the earthquake I set out to plough my field but I had to abandon the plan after I saw huge rocks rolling down the hills,” she said, adding, “Agriculture is the only source of livelihood for locals here. As we cannot work in our fields, we have no choice but to move to other places.”
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