He immediately stepped out of his house thinking it was an earthquake. [break]
"At first, I thought it was an earthquake," said the 66-year-old former Nepal Army (NA) soldier. "But, when I saw other houses in my neighborhood standing still and unaffected, I realized that it was only my house."
Pyakurel made a quick round of his house to find out the reason behind the tremor he felt. "I saw multiple cracks on the rear portion of my house," he said. "Instantly, my family members and some neighbors gathered there and we took out our belongings."
A few minutes later, the rear wall of a room on the ground floor of Pyakurel´s house collapsed. "It was a horrible moment," he said. "Had it happened in the night, some of us might have been killed. I am very happy that we all are safe."
Over 200 families at risk
Although no one was killed when Pyakurel´s house collapsed, other people of Khadipakha, a settlement of landless squatters in Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC)-3, may not be as lucky if another house gives way.
Most of the 250 houses in Khadipakha are at the risk of disasters like landslide. "We spend sleepless nights during rainy season fearing landslides," said Pyakurel. "Collapse of my house could be a sign of impending disaster that awaits us."
Sher Bahadur Pyakurel looks at the rear side of his house that collapsed last Saturday. Hundreds of other squatter homes in Khadipakha, a sloping land near the Teaching Hospital in Maharajgunj, face the risk of collapse during the monsoon as they do not have strong foundations.
The geography of Khadipakha is not suitable for high-rise buildings with weak foundations. The Khadipakha settlement is spread on a sloping land. This is one reason why the government did not prevent ´landless squatters´ from occupying this land some 30 years ago. Squatters´ huts began to spring up in Khadipakha from 2038 BS. As lands in Khadipakha did not have financial value back then, government officials did not take any steps to remove landless squatters from there.
As years passed by, several high-rise buildings were constructed around Khadipakha. And, ´landless squatters´ of Khadipakha, like Pyakurel, also started building multi-storey houses there.
"Mine is just a two-storey house," he said, adding, "There are buildings as tall as nine-storey in Khadipakha." Construction of multi-storey buildings poses a grave risk to the lives of more than 200 families in Khadipakha because just as Pyakurel´s house, other houses can also founder any day.
Precarious geography of Khadipakha is not the only reason why so many houses there are at the risk of land erosion.
As the squatters of Khadipakha have occupied government land, they do not get the designs of their houses approved by KMC, which has resulted in haphazard construction in the area.
Although constructing buildings on a sloping site requires more technical knowledge and expertise, the Khadipakha locals do not consult engineers before building houses. "I built my house without consulting an engineer," said Pyakurel.
Plight of two families
Although he knows he has neither legal nor moral rights to claim for compensation, Pyakurel, in his desperation borne out of the loss, reached KMC office on Wednesday, seeking compensation.
He returned with KMC giving no words of assurance for any kind of support. Pyakurel is not in a position to exert any kind of pressure on the KMC for compensation.
When Pyakurel´s house collapsed, Sanchaman Tamang´s family also had to suffer. Tamang, who was living on the ground floor of the house, is now taking shelter at a neighbor´s house. Worse, the wreckage of Pyakurel´s house fell over Tamang´s under-construction house, which is right below Pyakurel´s house. The wreckage badly damaged Tamang´s room.
Tamang had sold his ancestral land in Trishuli bazaar of Dhading district to build a house in Khadipakha. He also spent the money he had earned working overseas for five years. "I have spent all my earnings and savings to build this house," said Tamang. "I built this house with a limited budget. Now, I have no money left to repair even the roof. I might take loan."
Pyakurel said he had planned to rent out the rooms of his house to meet daily expenses of his family. "I used to get monthly rent from the Tamangs," he said. "Now, they have moved out. My regular income has stopped. And, I have to seek loan to repair my house." After retiring from the NA, Pyakurel worked as a security guard for many years at the TUTH. He retired from the service last year. "The only source of income was my house," he said.
Like Pyakurel and Tamang, the locals of Khadipakha are well aware that their houses are not safe. Due to lack of adequate budget and awareness, most of them did not spend much money in strengthening the foundation of their houses. According to Pyakurel´s wife Durga Devi, landslides have occurred several times on Khadipakha hill in the past. "In rainy days, I used to drape the land around the foundation of my house with large plastic sheets to minimize land erosion," said Durga Devi. "But my house collapsed well before the start of monsoon."
They have urged representatives of almost all major political parties to lobby for their relocation to other safer places. "Once some Maoist leaders assured us that they would relocate us to Chobhar," said Pyakurel. "I now realize that their assurances were just meant for garnering votes."
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