Nepal Red Cross Rehabilitating Disaster Displaced People »
By Khem Aryal,
12 Feburary, 2003

When the Rapti River swelled and entered the beautiful settlement of Jagatpur village in the night of 22 July 2002, more than two hundred families had a hard time to save their lives. Some of the villagers managed to reach the safer side before the flood could sweep away their houses, but many remained there and about 50 people saved their lives waiting for the fate to turn living on the roof of a local school. Another 28 people survived living on top of a concrete house that was about to dismantle for its foundation was badly damaged by now. And many people had seen that the flood had swept away Gokul Chhetri along with 6 more people. The next day, local newspapers reported that 7 people had died and one of them was the same Gokul Chhetri. But the villagers went numb when that evening Gokul returned to the place where his family was mourning for his missing. Gokul recalls, “Many children shouted at me, and were afraid that I was a ghost while I was coming here.”

Gokul’s is going to be one of the forty families that the Nepal Red Cross Society is going to rehabilitate at a safer side of the village in Chitwan district. Gokul is more than happy to share that even if his land and house have been swept away, he is alive and they are now going to be settled well. “Red Cross has provided us food and they are settling us in new houses. We have nothing to say but be grateful to the Red Cross,” says Masina Thapa Magar who is now living with her family in a rented room in the village.

Nepal Red Cross Society has already started the work of rehabilitation in 7 districts, one of them being Chitwan. After the monsoon flooding of the last July 225 families were displaced. And 82 of them do not have anything, neither hand nor house. But Nepal Red Cross is constructing only 40 houses selecting the neediest of them. Some other families have been supported by other organizations. Rehabilitation coordinator of Nepal Red Cross Mr. Hriseekesh Singh Silwal says, “We have designed the houses as the model houses, best houses at the lowest cost, so that the community people also can follow the model and build on their own if they get small support.” The three-room houses will have a toilet and the provision of safe drinking water. The colony of the forty houses, that covers the land of 0.68 hectres will have a temple and a community hall, too.

It is good that the homeless are going to find homes. And they will not be afraid in the next monsoon. But all the people are not happy that they have to leave their land back, and go to the new place. “We will not have the open space and freedom as we were enjoying in our place that was close to river and forest” says 71-year old Govind Sunuwar. This is a social problem that the indigenous people hardly want to move from their places even if they have the threat of death very next monsoon is a strong check dam is not constructed on the Rapati bank. Even if the rehabilitation site is just two kilometres away from their place, they would prefer staying at their own place.

But life is more precious. Parma Lal B. K., who lives with two wives and eleven children says, “We have no alternative. And we have been able to survive because the Red Cross has looked after us.” Durga Bahadur Pariyar, Man Bahadur Gurung, Baburam Bote are a few more people who are keenly waiting for the houses to complete at the earliest so that they can move to the houses.
Of the thousands of displaced families, Nepal Red Cross is constructing 225 for 225 families houses in 7 most affected districts. “This is what the Red Cross has been able to do at the best. We hope the communities and other organizations will, too, follow our model so that they can rehabilitate the displaced people at the lowest cost,” says the Secretary General of the Nepal Red Cross Mr. Dev Ratna Dhakhwa. The houses are modelled in consultation with the housing department of the government. Three basic criteria have been followed in constructing the houses. Engineer Adista Narayan Jha says, “The houses will be fire and quake proof. And the land is chosen ensuring that it won’t be affected by flood and landslide.”

Works in other six districts have also been started. “But the land acquiring process was very long and difficult, too. But now since we have finalised the site it won’t take long to construct the houses,” says Mr. Silwal.