A recent landslide at Chyamrangbesi VDC-1 in Kavre district came dangerously close to the house of Kamal Prasad Dahal. The area is still vulnerable to landslides, but Dahal and his family, knowing about the danger, are still living there.
“This is home,” he said, “we’ve nowhere else to go.”
The April 25 earthquake and its aftershocks did not cause much damage to Chyamrangbesi, but the tremors have weakened the soil, which are evident in the forms of cracks and fissures on the land. Ninety-one families from Chyamrangbesi have already moved to other villages like Dholahiti, Sunthan and Phirphiredanda.
“We were spared by the earthquake, but we will die in landslide,” Dahal said.
Senior soil conservation officer Mohan Kumar Shah said around 2,000 households in places like Pokharichaur, Devitar, Bhimkhori, Maadan Kundari, Kattikedeurali, Kaidabhanjyang and Chuchedanda are at high risk of landslides.
Scores of families from Kattikedeural are at great risk of losing their homes and properties to landslides. Cracks up to 50 metres long were triggered in the village because of the earthquake. The families living in the landslide-prone areas are searching for a safer location to move out.
Chandra Dhakal, one of the villagers, said around 100 families are living in high-risk areas and need to be relocated immediately.
“Some of the people have already fled the village after cracks appeared near their houses,” Dhakal said.
Field inspection conducted by a team of lawmakers, representatives of local administration and geologists have recommended the government to immediately evacuate the villages in Kavre that are at risk of landslides.
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