“While my hands hurt for having to crush stones for long periods, I have also been experiencing severe backache as I have to sit for hours to do the work,” said Bista while showing his wrists turned stiff due to excessive manual labour.

Originally from Thopadera, Hariharpur-5, the Bista family were relatively well-off and had not even in their dreams anticipated that they would have to crush stones for a living one day.

“We had about two hectares of land in the village, but as the floods eroded it all, we have been forced to crush stones now,” lamented Bista’s grandmother Tilisara.

Majority of flood victims languishing in temporary camps at Girighat in western part of Surkhet for the past eight months have been forced to start crushing stones in quarries scattered all over the district to earn their living.

The displaced have been compelled to involve themselves in such drudgery after the government and various NGOs stopped granting direct aid to the flood victims.

However, the flood victims complain they have been compelled to go through such hardships due to the apathy of the government that has failed to provide relief materials and make proper arrangement for their relocation and rehabilitation. The flood victims can be found gathering stones from the river early in the morning and crushing them during the day.

“One has to eat in order to survive and the profession has helped make ends meet,” said Kaushila Raut, who was also displaced by Bheri floods last year and is currently living in the temporary camp meant for flood victims.    

Meanwhile, the victims complained that tractor owners are taking undue advantage of their predicament. The victims are paid a mere Rs 50 for the stones crushed into gravels, which costs more than twice as much in the market.

Approximately, 183 flood displaced households living at the Girighat camp have taken up the profession as an alternate source of income, earning up to Rs 100 a day. The locals of Hariharpur-5 and 6 wards have been hardest hit by last year’s floods.