Floods at Kirtipur holding centre expose flaws in government’s squatter relocation plan

An aggressive eviction drive targeting riverside settlements in Kathmandu, ordered by Prime Minister Balendra Shah for safety reasons, has been undermined by the flooding of the very holding center designated for the displaced families.

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Whether you remember or choose to forget, every year thousands of people living on Kathmandu’s riverbanks have to flee for their lives during the monsoon, leaving all their belongings behind. This is a perennial issue. I have repeatedly written and stated that we must securely relocate these residents before the next monsoon arrives.

Shah had shared photographs of flooded riverside settlements, arguing that landless squatters living along riverbanks were unsafe and required immediate relocation before the monsoon. Following his directive, government bulldozers began demolishing these settlements. When questioned in Parliament, Shah maintained the administration was moving citizens to safety, not expelling them.

However, the Radha Swami Satsang holding center in Kirtipur, intended as a safe haven, was heavily flooded after torrential rainfall. Displaced families found themselves helpless and in despair, standing outside in the cold as their temporary tents were waterlogged. Essential belongings, including shoes, clothes, schoolbooks, and crucial medical records, were lost.

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We couldn't save her shoes, clothes, or schoolbooks. Everything was flooded.

Gayatri Shrestha, an evacuee, described waking up in a panic as water rapidly rose inside their tent. "We couldn't save her shoes, clothes, or schoolbooks. Everything was flooded," she said, holding her daughter. For many, the flood swept away vital necessities, leaving families with little more than the clothes on their backs.

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The government told us they brought us here to protect us from floods. But the flood here turned out to be much larger than what we used to face along the riverbanks.

Kamali Uraon, another evacuee, expressed bitter disappointment, stating, "The government told us they brought us here to protect us from floods. But the flood here turned out to be much larger than what we used to face along the riverbanks." The situation highlights significant flaws in the government's squatter relocation plan, failing to provide the promised safety and security to vulnerable populations.

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If the prime minister knew we were unsafe by the river, how did he fail to realise that