Salyan village at risk of landslide for last 30 years

SALYAN, JULY 12

A settlement of 100 plus families in Kapurkot Rural Municipality, Salyan, has been at risk of landslide for the past three decades.

Their fear of being swept away doubles when it rains. This monsoon, six metres land in the area have caved in.

However, the government and authority concerned are least bothered about the predicament of locals. No alternative has been sought so far despite frequent reminders and requests, said the locals. A school in the area has been relocated after land in the area of the school caved in. Likewise, approximately one kilometre road has collapsed.

“I cannot sleep throughout the night when it rains heavily. I hope we can survive a landslide by running away if it occurs during daytime,” said local resident Purna Bahadur Oli. “Seven metres of land has caved in at Kapurkot bazaar. You can assess the risk yourselves,” said Min Bahadur Sen, ward chair of Kapurkot Rural Municipality. He added that the federal government should think about mitigating landslide risks.

Besides monsoon, landslide occurs even during dry season, said Rupak Buda, chairperson of Kapurkot bazaar management committee.

Measures were taken to control the landslide in the past, but to no avail. So far, approximately Rs 38 million has been spent in controlling landslips.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on July 13, 2020, of The Himalayan Times.